Beach House
by PsiDeschain
Summary: Lt. Commander Robert Edwards was trapped on the Citadel when Cerberus/The Reapers assumed control. As the Prologues begin, Commander Christina Shepard is faced with a decision on how to deal with the Reaper threat. Beach House is the story of her decision and the impact it has on her life and the life of Lt. Commander Edwards.
1. Prologue

**Prologue A:**

Lt. Commander Robert Edwards was lost on the Citadel, in an area that he was sure few had ever seen. He had followed a lead on Cerberus activities to the Citadel, arriving just before Cerberus had seized control of the station. Or maybe it was the Reapers who had seized control. It was getting increasingly hard for Edwards to think of the two as separate factions. He knew that most Cerberus agents were indoctrinated but wasn't sure how far up Cerberus hierarchy the indoctrination went. Edwards believed it went all the way to the Illusive Man but his evidence was circumstantial.

Cerberus had already attempted to take over the Citadel once during the war. That attempt had been a conventional coup including sending assassins after the Council. Commander Shepard and her Normandy team had been responsible for thwarting that take-over attempt at the cost of lives of Thane Krios and Major Kaidan Alenko. But this attempt was different. It wasn't clear how Cerberus had taken control of the station; Edwards assumed they would have used their best inside people on the previous attempt, but this time the take-over seemed effortless. Knowing that the Citadel was of Reaper design, Edwards thought it likely that the Reapers had directed the attack. It was the only way that Edwards could see Cerberus pulling this off. If so, it would confirm that indoctrination went all the way to the top of Cerberus.

The control that Cerberus had over the station was complete. They had moved it from the Widow system to the Sol system and then had closed the arms, locking it up tight. Some had managed to get off the station. Those that didn't were being rounded up, perhaps to become more Cerberus shock troops, perhaps to become Reaper forces, or maybe just to be killed and processed to make another Reaper.

Edwards had been hiding since Cerberus first established control of the station, getting into areas Cerberus thought they had sealed off. He'd seen things that would give him nightmares for a long time. In Cerberus bases he had raided before the war he'd realized that death wasn't the worst thing that could happen to you; now he had seen how much worse things could get.

His hiding had led him deep into the Citadel, where he now stood near some keepers who appeared to be processing dead humans. "This just gets better and better," Edwards muttered to himself. He walked the corridor to the end and upon exiting saw an artificial ravine. To either side the walls shifted and moved, as if reconfiguring the area. That sense that had kept him safe so many times told him to turn back; something wasn't right here. There was nothing he could put his finger on but his unconscious mind had noticed something that he wasn't yet able to recognize.

"Nowhere else to go Bobby," Edwards' said, knowing that talking to himself wasn't the best sign. This wasn't a mission he could bug out on and come back to later. He had a sense that, at least for Earth, the end game was now. At a minimum, he had to find a way to establish contact with someone off the Citadel and see what the situation was. He had found nothing behind him that would allow that, so he went forward.

"SAI," Lt. Commander Edwards asked, "are you picking up any unusual readings?"

SAI, or Strategic Analytical Intelligence, was Edwards' modified virtual intelligence. He had built it from a prototype of the Andromeda Initiative's Simulated Adaptive Matrix, or SAM, that he had collected from a raid on an abandoned Initiative base. Edwards had intentionally limited its capabilities to keep it from being a full blown artificial intelligence, wanting just the analysis component. Plus, he'd seen the scorn heaped on Alec Ryder for his work on SAM, and had no desire to suffer the same. Also, as technically oriented as he was, he still distrusted AI's.

"No, Lt. Commander. I'm not picking up anything outside of normal variation," SAI replied.

SAI had been a great benefit to Edwards the last few months, but increasingly he saw why the Andromeda Initiatives Pathfinders would need the full SAM. SAMs were tied directly to their users, essentially seeing the world through the pathfinders' senses. There were things that SAI just couldn't handle because it couldn't observe everything that Edwards could. SAI resided on Edwards' omni-tool and had access to all the omni-tools sensors. But those sensors didn't cover everything that Edwards' senses did. But to use a full SAM would mean not only creating an AI but also having one of Ellen Ryder's implants in his head. He had a prototype implant from the same raid where he got the SAM prototype but lacked the expertise to get it to work.

As Edwards reached the top of the far side of the ravine he entered a room. Two bodies lay on the floor; one was Admiral Anderson and the other was the Illusive Man. Edwards had never met either man but was acquainted with the careers of both. He had seen enough dead bodies to know they were gone, but he followed his training and verified that was the case. He was surprised to see that the Illusive Man had apparently killed himself. There was also evidence that the Illusive Man had a high level of Reaper tech implanted in his body. Edwards had his confirmation that the Illusive Man was indoctrinated, though it seemed a little late.

That the Illusive Man would be on the Citadel made sense, given what Edwards knew of the Cerberus take-over. But how had Admiral Anderson even gotten on the Citadel and why would the Admiral in charge of the resistance on earth be up here on the Citadel? The only reason Bobby could think of was to open the arms, but why would that be important?

Edwards knelt to examine Anderson and then the world exploded.

 **Prologue B**

Commander Christina Shepard started forward. She remembered telling the Illusive Man that there were always options; now she had been given options. She didn't have to destroy the Reapers, according to the Catalyst, she could control them instead. But it wouldn't be her controlling them as she would be dead. Her thoughts and memories and ideas would be directing the Reapers as she, what? Merged with the catalyst, she supposed since controlling the Reapers was what the Catalyst had been doing. But she didn't think anybody, not even she, could or should be trusted with that much power. She was certain the Catalyst shouldn't be wielding it.

Then, the Catalyst had told her that she could "join her energy" to that of the Crucible, thereby changing the fundamental structure of life through-out the galaxy. Organic and Synthetic life would no longer be separate but merged into a new hybrid form of life. This, the Catalyst claimed, was the final solution to war between Organics and Synthetics; each perfected by union with the other. But, even if that were true, Shepard didn't believe she should make that decision for all life in the galaxy.

Neither were what she had come here to do. She had come to destroy the Reapers. Doing so would allow the species of the Milky Way to determine their own fate. Was war between Organics and Synthetics inevitable? The Reaper on Rannoch had said the war there proved it was so, but the war on Rannoch had ended in peace between the Quarians and the Geth. Both Quarians and Geth were part of the fleet that had come here with the purpose of destroying the Reapers. Shepard didn't believe that war was inevitable any more than she had believed that the genophage was necessary to prevent war with the Krogan.

While the Catalyst seemed sincere that all options were viable, Shepard couldn't trust it. Not with this much on the line. The Catalyst had long ago devised the Reapers as a solution, but they solved nothing. They were instruments of destruction and she was here to make sure they were stopped. The Catalyst was not omniscience nor infallible. What if control was only temporary or if synthesis wasn't the utopia that the Catalyst believed it would be? Shepard decided she had only one choice.

"Dead Reapers are the way we win this." Admiral Hackett's voice hung in Shepard's head. This was the mission. In the end, choices or no, it was inevitable that she would complete the mission. She was a naval officer and a born leader, but she was no scientist or Admiral. Trust the chain of command is what she'd told Lieutenant Kurin on Thessia and that's what she'd do now. The chain said the Reapers had to be destroyed.

Shepard began to pull the trigger and then the world exploded.


	2. Chapter 1

Edwards came to with a start. Where was he? The bed was soft and the room was spacious but the last thing he remembered was kneeling to examine Admiral Anderson on the Citadel. Had he blacked out? If so, for how long and how had he gotten here, wherever here was. Something about the room whispered, "Not the Citadel," to him.

For not the first time in last year he paused to wonder if perhaps he had been indoctrinated. He had had regular evaluations, even though his exposure was minimal. He had read the reports that said memories could be altered or shared. Maybe the gap in his memory was the result of indoctrination; something the Reapers did to gain control. It would make sense they would remove memories that could make you realize you were indoctrinated.

Of all the things the Reapers did, indoctrination scared him the most. What he did often required him to trust his instincts. When he wasn't relying on his instincts, he was depending on his reasoning. He wasn't a biotic; his tech skills were what made him a soldier. For now, he decided, he would have to act as if he wasn't indoctrinated, at least until he had more information.

Taking stock of the situation was the place to start. This meant methodically noting everything, whether it seemed important or not. The littlest clues were sometimes the key to solving the biggest riddles. The first clue was that Edwards was no longer wearing his armor. All he was wearing, in fact, was underwear, which appeared to be new. He was not feeling any pain or discomfort physically and found that he could sit up easily.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Edwards scanned the room. The bed was against an outside wall situated between two windows. There were two doors on the perpendicular wall and another door on the wall to his back. Along this same wall was a small desk and his guitar case. "My guitar case," he muttered. "How the hell did my guitar get here?" The fourth wall was a bookcase filled from floor to ceiling with books. Sunlight streamed in through the windows and Edwards thought he could hear waves hitting a shore.

"SAI," he asked, "Are you there?"

"If I'm dead," Edwards thought, "SAI probably won't answer."

"Yes, Commander. I am operational," SAI responded.

"How long has it been since we last spoke?"

There was an uncharacteristic pause. "I am unable to determine the exact length of time. I was off-line for an indeterminate period. Since coming back on-line it has been four hours and twenty-seven minutes."

Edwards sighed. Well, it was something at least, but not knowing how long, or why, SAI had been down made him uncomfortable. "SAI, what can you tell me about where we are?"

"The atmosphere here is suitable for sustaining human life. There is sufficient oxygen in the are and toxic chemicals are within allowable limits. The temperature is 23 degrees Celsius with fifty-three percent humidity. Given our last known location was the Citadel, and the readings I have, it is likely we are on Earth."

Edwards could ask how they got there, but there wasn't much point. If SAI had been off-line until four hours ago, he wouldn't know. Bobby decided it was time to get on his feet and get moving. The fact that he could stand and move easily made another explanation for his current situation unlikely. If he had been in a coma for a long time, and brought here to recover, then his muscles would probably not be this responsive.

He entered the door directly in front of him and found a large bathroom. There was a small whirlpool bath; a large shower with a seat and shelves that had shampoo and body wash; a towel closet, full of towels and wash cloths; and a sink with a medicine cabinet. In the cabinet there were razors and other personal grooming items. No Cision Pro toothbrush but he didn't really expect that; just a couple of standard toothbrushes and toothpaste. He went back out into the bedroom.

The other door along this wall was, as he had guessed, the closet. The closet was bigger than most rooms he had ever had. Suits, dress shirts, slacks, ties; all hung with care. He checked and noted that they all appeared to be in his size. There were also drawers in here and he found running shorts and t-shirts. He picked out a nondescript outfit of dark shorts with grey t-shirt, some socks and running shoes and slipped them on.

Exiting the closet Edwards walked back over to the bed and looked out the window. He was on the second floor and was overlooking a short roof, perhaps covering a small room or deck at the back of the house. The roof appeared to be new and in good condition. Edwards had grown up in a two-story house and his bedroom had been upstairs. There was something comforting and familiar about this view, though his home had not been anywhere near this nice.

The view here was closer to the view he had always dreamed of having as a child. Beyond the roof there was the shore and then a massive body of water. "Can't see land on the far side," he thought. So, there was no way to know if this was just a large lake or an ocean, but there were waves hitting the shore. There were a few clouds in the sky but the sun was shining and the day seem bright and peaceful. Looking out across the water he recalled reading that the Drell associated oceans and the afterlife. If he recalled correctly, the Goddess of the Oceans and Afterlife was Kalahira. SAI had responded to him but maybe SAI would respond to him if he was dead. The old saying was that you can't take it with you when go, but who knew for sure?

"SAI," Edwards asked, "Are my vital signs normal?"

"Your heart rate and blood pressure are slightly elevated but within the acceptable range," SAI responded.

Edwards turned from the window and started toward the other door on the adjacent wall to the closet. He paused, thinking that there should have been birds along the shore, shouldn't there? "No birds? That's odd," he said. That week that they had went to Caribbean there had always been birds along the shore. Then he heard their calls. He turned back to the window to see that there were birds there. Had he just missed them earlier? No, he didn't think so. Part of what made him a good soldier was being able to see and process all aspects of an area quickly. If there had been birds, he would have seen them. Perhaps, then, they had just been further up or down the shore and hearing them coming in is what had caused him to think of them? Maybe, but he noted it as an anomaly.

The bookshelf was sorted by topic. There were books on science and technology; literature and fiction; music and the arts; religious texts; and others. Whoever had put this together must have spent a fortune. Books, real paper books, were rare. Nearly everything today was published via the extranet.

He checked the guitar case and it was his guitar. Music calmed and focused him. Dogs didn't howl when he played and sang, but he was never going to be good enough to make a career out of music. He didn't play for people; he couldn't even recall the last time he had played when someone other than his parents or his sister's family was around to hear him. Claudia had known he played, but he had never played for her.

Opening the last door, Edwards stepped into a hallway and had a sense that someone else was there. He had no weapon, other than himself, so he proceeded cautiously even though he had no sense of danger. There were three other doors on the hallway; two on the right-hand wall and the third at the other end. If he had to guess, the one at the far end was a mirror of his room and the two in the middle would be roughly the same size as each other but less spacious than the end rooms. On the left was a wooden railing overlooking the foyer and stairs leading down. Opening the first door on the right he confirmed that it was a smaller room. Instead of a bed and storage space it had basic exercise equipment, including a weight bench, chin bar, heavy bag, and a speed bag.

Back out in the hall, he walked past the stairs and to the second door on the right. This door opened to a what his mother would have called a guest room. It was too small to be the main bedroom and had no evidence that anyone lived in it. The quilt that covered the bed was heavy and looked hand-made. There was a small chest of drawers, which was empty, and a larger desk than the one in his room.

The final room was largely a mirror of his own, with two significant difference. Instead of a library of books, there was a library of vids. Also, the clothing in this room was tailored to a more feminine frame. Seeing the short red dress, Edwards decided he would forgo looking through the drawers as he already felt like an intruder. He quietly exited the room; closed the door; and walked down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 2

Edwards walked down the stairs into the foyer and opened the front door. There was a porch along the front of the house with a bench swing on one end and a couple of Adirondack chairs with a small table at the other. Three steps led off the porch and into a rolling field. There was no road, not even a worn path. There were a few trees but nothing else of note for as far as he could see; no other houses, buildings, fences, or anything man-made. Edwards decided to finish exploring the house and depending on what, or who, he found he might trek away from the house later to see how far it was to the nearest town.

Entering the foyer again, he could see doors at the back of the stairs on either side. To his left was an open doorway leading into a parlor where he could see a grand piano and some furniture. There was a lot of open area in that room and vid screen hung on the far wall.

To his right was the living room, and he entered it. It was large with a couple of couches and three nice chairs. The room was tidy; no trash or even dust to be seen. It was too perfect, just like the rooms upstairs. The house was like a model home that a salesman would show saying, "Your house could look like this," except your house would have people living it messing things up. Either no one had been messing things up here or the person who cleaned this house was meticulous. In his head, Edwards heard his mother saying, "Where no oxen are the stall is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox." "There are no oxen in this house," he thought.

There were four windows in the living room; two along the front and two along the side. A light with a fan hung from the ceiling. Along the final wall was a doorway leading into a hall toward the rear of the house. On either side of the doorway there was a large picture. To the left hung a picture of the Normandy SR2. It appeared to have been taken while the ship was docked at the Citadel. The picture to the left was of several crew members.

Edwards had never met any of the Normandy's crew but they were well enough known that he could recognize some of them. The crew picture included Dr. Liara T'Soni, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'zorah, an alien of a species he couldn't identify, a pretty brunette that Edwards did not recognize, a couple of Alliance marines, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, and a humanoid mech. The picture looked as if they had posed for the picture. It was not a random shot but professionally done. The team appeared to be in good spirits. Noticeably absent from the picture was Commander Shepard. Edwards remembered the sense that there had to have been a third person with Anderson and the Illusive Man, and now Shepard was missing from this picture. "Curious," he said.

But there were no answers here so Edwards moved through the doorway between the two pictures and into the hall. On the right side of the hall there were two doors; one to a small bathroom and the other to a utility room. Seeing nothing much of interest in these rooms Edwards went through the doorway on the left side of the hall.

There Edwards found a large kitchen, with plenty of cabinet space; a nice refrigerator; a sizable kitchen island; a sink; and a stove. On that stove, there was a tea kettle which Edwards did not have to touch to know that it was still hot. Someone else was here and had recently fixed a pot tea. His mind made that sideways leap of logic that had gotten him out of many problems. Admiral Anderson had been on the Citadel; the pictures were of the Normandy; and, in the crew picture, Commander Shepard had been missing. He suspected his mystery companion was the Commander, but if so, where was she?

On the other side of the room was a dining table big enough to seat eight, three to a side and one on each end, and a door beyond that. To the left were the two swinging doors that would lead back into the foyer and to the right was a door leading onto the back deck. Glancing out that door Edwards caught a glimpse of someone sitting in a deck chair on the porch. She was facing the water so he couldn't get a good look at her but a few things stood out. First, she appeared to be human female. "I would assume Kalahira would be Drell," Edwards thought, but who knew. Maybe it was a Valkyrie and he was in Valhalla.

Lt. Commander Claudia Crichton, his late, what had she been? Girlfriend, he supposed. They had never spent much time talking about their relationship. Bobby regretted that decision now, but the past was unchangeable. They had used the term colleague but Edwards had other colleagues and he hadn't slept with any of them. Claudia had never appreciated Edwards sense of humor; in fact, she accused him of not having one. He could hear her saying, "Not funny, Bobby. Not funny at all."

The second thing Edwards noticed about was that she had dark red hair which was pulled back into a pony-tail, though plenty of strands appeared to be hanging loose. Third, she had a fair complexion and staying under the roof was probably a wise idea given the bright sun. Fourth, she appeared relaxed, or at least confident that she could handle any situation that came up, even though she appeared to be unarmed. Finally, Edwards noted that she was sipping tea and eating an energy bar. Shepard was a biotic, and a powerful one from what Edwards had heard, especially for a human. The one thing he associated with biotics, besides their abilities, was food. You always knew when a biotic was in mess because they got half again as much food as anyone else. "All signs point to Shepard," he thought.

Based partly on this, he made no attempt to be quiet when he opened the door. If it was Shepard, he preferred not to startle her into slapping him with a singularity. If wasn't and she was a threat, he was behind her and had a few surprises of his own. Whoever she was, she showed no visible reaction to the opening of the door; she didn't even turn her head to look at him before speaking.

"So, you're finally awake?" she asked as Edwards stepped through the door.

"Well, I thought maybe I was dreaming but I pinched myself and didn't wake up, so I guess I'm awake. Lt. Commander Robert Edwards of the Alliance Navy. Who are you and do you know where we are?" Edwards asked.

She set her cup down on the table in front of her, stood, and turned to him. It was, or at least appeared to be, Commander Shepard. Hadn't he heard some rumor about a clone? "I was actually hoping you could tell me where we are, Lt. Commander." She stuck out a hand and he shook it. "I'm Commander Christina Shepard."

Edwards quickly took her in. Freckles were scattered across her nose and cheeks and she had piercing green eyes. She was obviously fit and was wearing a white tank top with an N7 logo. He could also tell that she was sizing him up, but not the way a lover would. No, like him she was trying to determine if there was a threat and if so, what were the best attack points.

"No introduction needed, Commander. I recognize you from the news. You're quite the hero to all of us. Getting the Krogan and Turians to work together and the Geth and Quarians. Very impressive. Unfortunately, I have no clue as to where we are. SAI, excuse me, my omni-tool," Edwards said, "hasn't found anything to help pinpoint a location but thinks we might be on Earth."

Shepard had a puzzled look. "Sigh?" she asked?

"SAI. Sierra Alpha India," Edwards replied. "Short for Strategic Analytical Intelligence. It's an advanced virtual intelligence I developed from some prototype code I found. Long story. SAI monitors a lot of data continually and can draw some conclusions from the data by comparing it to information on record." He went on to cover what SAI had told him about being off-line for a time and why earth was SAI's suggested location.

Shepard motioned to an empty chair and she sat back down. Edwards sat down as well and Shepard told him about her walk through the house, including finding him sleeping in his room.

"You're a sound sleeper," she said. "You didn't react at all when I entered your room. In fact, I almost thought you were dead. Why not, I thought I was dead too. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Why would you think you were dead," Edwards asked. "What's the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

Shepard, true to her form, turned the question back to him. "You first," she said. Edwards gave a brief explanation about how chasing leads on Cerberus had led him to the Citadel before it was seized by Cerberus. He told her about hiding in Keeper tunnels and eventually finding Admiral Anderson and the Illusive Man. "I was about to check Admiral Anderson for clues as to why he was on the Citadel when something happened. The next thing I remember is waking up in the room upstairs.

"I can solve at least one mystery for you, Lt. Commander. You know about the Crucible?" Shepard asked and Edwards nodded.

"I reported directly to Admiral Hackett and you could see outside his office window," Edwards said.

"We found out that to make it work it needed to be attached to the Citadel. With the arms closed the only way on-board was through a beam the Reapers were using to send human remains to the Citadel for processing. During the push to the beam most of our forces were wiped out, but Admiral Anderson and I made it on board." She then walked him through meeting the Illusive Man; Anderson getting shot, though she avoided the subject of who had shot him; convincing the Illusive Man that he was indoctrinated, so that he killed himself; opening the Citadel's arms; and the discussion with the Catalyst.

"I hope you sent the bastards to hell, ma'am," Edwards said, without a moment's hesitation.

She let out a short laugh. "I did, but I didn't reach that decision lightly. In the end, too much was at stake to risk not destroying them. But setting off the Crucible is apparently what led us to being here, wherever here is."

They both sat quietly for a few moments. Shepard looked at her cup and it was empty. "I think I'm going to get some more tea. Want something?"

Bobby stood as well. "I didn't look through the cabinets. I could use something stronger than tea if there's anything in there."

"Not sure. I thought tea sounded good and it was in the first cabinet I checked. The energy bars were in there too and I was starving like I hadn't ate for days. I'm afraid I've eaten half this box. Guess we should take stock of what supplies we do have." They both reached for the door. Bobby stopped, smiled, and nodded. Tina opened the door and as she stepped through said, "I always open the door," and laughed. Bobby smiled, "Rumor is you never let anyone else press the buttons or drive either."

"Those too," she said and went inside.


	4. Chapter 3

They checked all the cabinets and the refrigerator. Enough supplies to last the two of them for a couple of weeks, even with Shepard's increased calorie needs. Neither planned on being here that long. They would assess the situation in and near the house the rest of the day and begin searching further out the next. Tina had noted that the sun had been rising in the sky while she sat on the deck, and estimated that they were now at about mid-day. SAI had concurred based on the sun's positioning and the slight increase it had monitored in the air temperature.

They had found a fully stocked bar as part of the kitchen island. There wasn't a huge variety of items but all the essentials were there, Bobby thought. He had gotten the bottle of Thessia Red and was nursing a glass as they talked on the porch. Tina had gotten another cup of tea and another energy bar. She was not above drinking herself during down times. She had even passed out on Aria's couch in Purgatory once. But it was too early in the day here, especially with them in an unknown situation, for her to want to dull her senses. She hoped the Lt. Commander didn't have a drinking problem. He didn't, but he was working on developing one.

"Let's continue to compare notes and see if we can spot some clue as to what happened to us or where we are," Shepard said. "We should also plan for an early start tomorrow. We can pack supplies tonight and I'd suggest starting by following the shoreline. We're more likely to find another house on the beach than randomly crossing a field."

Edwards noticed that Shepard was used to being in-charge. He, however, was used to working alone. Claudia had been the senior member of the team but no one had ever officially been in-charge. But everyone on the team had been Lt. Commanders. Shepard outranked him, and he had taken direction from superior officers before joining the infiltration squad. Besides, Edwards agreed with her plan and this was Commander Shepard. Bobby wasn't the type to disagree with a war hero. He might have suggested something different if he believed he had a better solution, but in this case, he didn't. But it was tough to ignore the feeling that what they were doing would be a waste of time. There was no other house on the shore. They were alone.

"How long have the birds been out there," Edwards asked.

Shepard was a little surprised by the question; it seemed to come out of nowhere and indicated to her that he had been thinking about something other than plan. "Strange that you should ask that. I was sitting out here drinking my tea lost in thought earlier and hadn't even noticed them. Then, just a short time before you came out, they started flying around and making a lot of noise. It's like they came out of nowhere."

"Huh," Edwards said. "Like maybe ten or fifteen minutes before I came out here?"

"Yes, that sounds about right," Shepard responded.

"I was looking out the window of my room and didn't notice them. When I turned away I thought that I should have seen birds but hadn't seen them. I even mentioned it out loud, then I heard them. I went back to the window to look and there they were."

Shepard gave him a look that was hard for him to read. Edwards thought maybe she was trying hard to decide if he was crazy in what he was suggesting. Or maybe she was thinking it only took a few sips of alcohol and he's drunk already. Then Shepard said, "I had something similar happen. When I first went into the living room, I got a sense that the it was too bare to be lived in. The furniture was all there, but there was nothing on the walls. I think I said something about the walls being barren. Then I looked again and there were pictures. A picture of the Normandy and a picture of my team."

"I saw those," Edwards said. "You're saying they weren't there then they were?"

"Yes, just the same way you described the birds. I looked and they weren't there. When I turned away and then turned back, they were there."

"Any idea where or when those pictures were taken?" he asked.

Shepard shook her head. "No clue on when. The Normandy picture appears to have been taken while she was in the Alliance docks on the Citadel, though not where we've normally been docking nor where it was docked for repairs. The other picture is the surface of some planet with lush vegetation but I don't recognize the planet from the picture."

"Are we saying the environment is changing to meet our expectations? Is that what we are talking about?" Edwards asked, sounding skeptical, even though he'd been the first to suggest it. It sounded crazy but Shepard knew that the wall had been bare then it wasn't. "If that's the case," Bobby said, "please do not expect the Loch Ness Monster to be out there in the water."

Shepard smiled but both took a moment to scan the lake. "Well," she said, "if the Loch Ness Monster is out there would you expect to see it the first time you looked?"

"Thanks, I'll sleep better tonight thinking about that," Edwards said with a smile. "You're probably right though. We don't really expect to see the Loch Ness Monster so it isn't there." Edwards paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it possible we're indoctrinated?"

The thought had crossed Shepard's mind as well. "Lack of memory; seeing things that are not there; and we were both close to the Catalyst, who could have the ability to indoctrinate us. I don't feel like I did when the Illusive Man was controlling me, though, and I'm not sure what the point of this would be. Plus, I've never heard of indoctrination being this complete. False memories are not uncommon, but a complete reality shift would be something new."

"It would also mean that one of us isn't real," Edwards thought, "and if my mind knows that the Reapers are trying to take control, wouldn't Commander Shepard be the most likely image my mind would conjure up to help me fight them?"

"Would there be any clues to point to the fact that we are indoctrinated?" Edwards asked.

"There are common signs, including hallucinations, but those are interruptions into reality, not a shifted reality. Seeing things come out of walls and then disappear, for example. Insomnia or bad dreams might also be a sign or hearing voices. But in every case of indoctrination I've seen, if the possibility of indoctrination is brought up they deny it vigorously or else have to struggle to admit it. They don't sit around quietly discussing it like we are," Shepard said.

"Well then, I guess we assume we're not until we start hearing voices," Edwards said, but thought "unless you are the voice in my head."


	5. Chapter 4

In the storage room on the far side of the kitchen Shepard had found two backpacks. When they had finished their drinks, they went back inside and began packing one of them for tomorrow's exploration. Shepard advised that they not go further than half-a-day's walk, so they would not need a lot of supplies. "It shouldn't take us that long to find something, but it we don't we should probably plan on being back here before dark." Once that task was completed, they each refilled their drinks and went back out to the deck.

"Tell me about yourself, Lt. Commander," Shepard said, "How long have you been with the Alliance?"

"Twelve years now. I joined up straight out of high school. My family wasn't poor but my parents were already putting my sister through college. Her grades had been good enough that she got scholarships and my parents made up the difference. My teachers said I was smart but 'didn't apply myself,' and at least the latter part was true. I did better under the imposed discipline of the Alliance and became a decent engineer."

"How long have you been a Lt. Commander?"

"About two years now."

"'Decent' engineers don't become Lt. Commander's in ten years," Shepard said, "and they don't work directly for Admiral Hackett. How did you end up in that role?"

"You. Or, to be specific, your discovery of the Prothean beacon and stopping Saren on the Citadel. Admiral Hackett decided he needed a team dedicated to gathering intel related to the Reapers. The problem was the brass wanted to downplay Sovereign's role and say it was all Saren. He didn't even tell us that the Reapers were the focus. We were chartered to learn all that we could about advanced technology that Cerberus was researching. But we were a task force dedicated to investigating Cerberus and most of our missions were Cerberus related because they knew about the Reapers."

"Did you find out anything about Project Lazarus?" Shepard asked.

Edwards smiled and answered, "Not until after you were fighting the Collectors and had been in touch with Anderson. At least not by that name. We had evidence that there was a top-secret project that was receiving massive funding. Figuring out what that project was became a major focus for the team for the two months prior to your return. Cerberus was good at hiding what they were doing but the security on the Lazarus project was outstanding."

"Post your meeting with Anderson, we were able to guess where they had been spending that money. Claudia, Lt. Commander Crichton, raided the Lazarus facility after you left. Crazy mechs all over the place and a lot of dead bodies. Someone, I'd guess Miranda Lawson, had wiped the main data-banks. There were some records, mostly personal log entries that lacked any technical detail. They just confirmed that you had been the subject and which Cerberus agents had been involved. But by then we already knew that information.

"It was a turning point though," Edwards continued. "The elephant in the room was the question of why Cerberus would spend so much money to bring you back. Sure, the Collectors were a threat. But our intel said that when the Lazarus Project was launched, Cerberus didn't know it was them. So, why you?"

"Reapers," Shepard answered.

"Reapers," Edwards affirmed. "Anyway, back at the start, the Old Man wanted five people. The first four were easy choices for him. All were biotics who had been through ICT. I made the shortlist for the fifth slot, but Hackett was leaning towards another biotic. I had went through ICT with the first person chosen for the team and she convinced Hackett that having an engineer on the team was a good idea."

The corners of Shepard's mouth turned up and she asked, "Lt. Commander Crichton, I assume, since you are on a first name basis. Are you and she close?"

Edwards had about half his glass of Thessia Red left and downed it. "Claudia's dead, Commander. Sorry, but that wound's still raw right now. Besides, your stories have to be more interesting than mine. You mentioned that the Alliance destroyed the main Cerberus base before coming to earth with the Crucible. I've been tracking them for so long I'm curious about what you found."

Shepard told Edwards about going to Sanctuary and finding the location of the base from the tracker that Miranda had put on Kai Leng. Continuing the story with the trip to the base to find out what the Catalyst was and to shut down Cerberus. "But we were too late. The Illusive Man got away and fled to the Citadel. We got the data we needed and destroyed the base, but there are bound to be cells still operational. Those will need to be cleaned up but Cerberus shouldn't be threat it was."

They sat quietly for a while, then Shepard, always wanting to know the people she was working with, asked, "You mentioned a sister. Is your family still alive?"

"Last I heard, yes. We lived in St. Louis when I was growing up but my parents moved back to old family farm shortly after I joined the service. The Reapers have been focusing on large population centers so my parents are okay. My sister, Jill, and her family serve on an Alliance research vessel. She and my brother-in-law Nic are civilian contractors, not military, with two, Maria and Rafael. Jill's been helping with the Crucible. Nic and the kids are a remote base set up for family members of people working on the Crucible. We've been fortunate. Your mother's an Admiral, right?"

"Yes, her ship took part in the attack to reclaim earth. I don't know if she survived or not but I'm hopeful. She's a good leader and she's got a lot of experience. She raised me on ships. All this room seems strange to me. I can see how people would get used to it though," Shepard said.

When Edwards didn't continue to talk about his family or ask another question of her, Shepard said, "Any idea if the Crucible somehow sent us somewhere else?"

"I'm the wrong Edwards for that question. I'm a tech guy and that's a question that would require a theoretical physicist like Jill to answer. I would assume it's possible, given that your reports said that the Citadel itself is a mass relay, but I would also assume such a trip would have killed us, if it occurred."

The sun, Shepard realized, had gotten lower in the sky quicker than she would have expected and it didn't quite look like Sol to her. "Can your omni-tool tell us, relatively, what time it is? The sun seems to be setting quickly."

Edwards checked with SAI and, based on the sun's movements and the elapsed time SAI was tracking, determined that the days here were shorter than Earth days by just over four hours. "Guess we're not on Earth," Edwards said.

"It also means we have less travel time tomorrow," Shepard said. "Guess we should fix something to eat and then get a good night's rest if possible." With that she grabbed her cup and headed into the house. Edwards sat there a few minutes longer, scanning the water and looking at his empty glass. "Just one more," he thought as he picked up the bottle and went inside as well.


	6. Chapter 5

The next morning, Shepard and Edwards got an early start heading south along the shore. "Just so you know, I'm not hopeful we're going to find anything out here," Edwards said. "We have to try, I get that, but I'd be surprised if we find something. There's just something off about this whole thing."

"I agree that something is wrong, but I don't think we should jump to any conclusions. There is an explanation for this, we just have to find it and we went through the house and didn't find anything. The shoreline is the next logical place to look. Plus, this is better than sitting around waiting for the food to run out or an answer to fall from the skies. Besides, it's another pretty day and I could use and excuse to stretch my legs. Never really got to do this much while living on a ship."

They talked while they hiked south along the shore. Edwards was interested in Shepard's time with the Cerberus and what she had learned about the group. He also asked about going through the Omega 4 relay and fighting the collectors. When she had finished, he was shaking his head. "I generally never go anywhere without a good understanding of what I'm going to find. The Citadel was an exception and I only did that because staying in the areas I knew would have gotten me killed. You jumped through a relay without knowing much about what was on the other side. How do you do that?"

Shepard shrugged, "You didn't see what the Collectors were doing and my description doesn't paint a gruesome enough picture. I didn't have to go to save myself, but the team had to go if we were going to save others. The Collectors had to be stopped and the relay was the only choice."

"Like holding the line at the Skyllian Blitz was your only choice, too, I guess. It's not that simple for most of us Commander. Knowing what's right and doing what's right are two different things."

"I'm not saying the choice was an easy one. Going through the relay worked out and we all came back safely, but they don't all turn out that way. When they don't," she was quiet for a moment, "let's just say you're not the only one with wounds that haven't healed yet."

A short time after they lost sight of the house behind them, Bobby spied another building in front of them. "There. Looks like you were right, Commander, it's another house." He looked at her expecting to see excitement. Instead he saw, what? Bewilderment?

"Look again," she said. He did and saw what she had seen. It wasn't another house; it was their house.

"No," he said, "not possible. The sun has stayed to our left the entire time. We can't be walking up on the other side of the same house. Maybe it's just a duplicate."

"I don't think so," Shepard said. "But there's one way to find out." She started to jog toward the house and Edwards fell in with her. "We mark the house somehow. We probably should have done so before we left." When they got to the deck, Edwards used his omni-tool and wrote, "So was Red," in the wood.

"What's that?" Shepard asked.

"Line from an old vid. In the vid it was carved into the wood by a man who felt like he was out of place so it seemed appropriate," Edwards answered.

They then began to retrace their steps, going back along the shoreline to the north. The trip took roughly the same amount of time until they returned to the house. "This is the moment of truth," Edwards said as they approached the deck. Neither were surprised to see the quote carved into the wood of the deck.

"Commander, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Shepard looked at him with something that was not a smile. "You have to know that one," Edwards said. "Dorothy? The Wizard of Oz? A tornado sends a little girl into another world, or maybe she just dreams she's in another world."

"You're worse than Tali," Shepard said.

"It's a classic," Edwards pleaded. "Anyway, I don't see a yellow brick road," Shepard glowered at him and Edwards smiled back, "so I don't know where we go next. I get the feeling that every direction leads right back here."

Edwards was right. They could walk away from the house and the water until neither were visible. Then, over the next crest they would see the house again, with the water beyond. As soon as they saw they house, the sun seemed to re-position itself in the sky. They tried this in several different directions away from the house but always with the same result. SAI was no help. It indicated that they were indeed moving in a straight line and had no explanation as to why the sun would move.

When the sun was getting low in the sky, Edwards, ready to give up for the day, said, "I could use a drink."

"Tonight, I think I'll join you," Shepard replied.


	7. Chapter 6

Shepard sat at the table eating the food she had packed for the trip. She was tired and worried. What was this place. She remembered EDI talking about the possibility of place where the rules of physics did not apply. This seemed to be that kind of place. She saw Edwards getting something out of the cabinet. He came to the table carrying a box of energy bars. "I feel like I could eat the whole box but I'm willing to share," he said.

"Where did you get those?" She asked.

"Off the shelf. I guess there was another box up there."

"No, there wasn't. I inventoried what was on that shelf and there was only the open box that I packed and we ate while were out exploring." She reached into the pack and pulled out the empty box. "The house replaced the empty box?"

Edwards walked back over to the kitchen island and pulled out a bottle of Thessia Red. "Apparently it replaces everything. The empty bottle of this is up in my room. Where's this stuff coming from?"

"Well," Tina said, "as long as it continues we won't have a food problem."

And it did continue. Some days they would repeat their attempts to leave, but the results were always the same. On these days, they would talk and share stories about different missions they had been on, both before and after the start of the Reaper War. Anytime Shepard asked Edwards about one of his missions, he would protest that his stories were boring, and basically all the same.

"The team spent a lot of time gathering intel on targets; usually not a big deal, just research. We'd determine the best candidate to run a mission. Sometimes the best candidate might already have an active assignment so someone else would take it. In either case, we were usually able to slip in and slip out before anyone knew they had been hit. Sometimes it was intel we were after; sometimes we were rescuing someone; on rare occasions it was a mission to take out a target. I usually got those because I was the best with a sniper rifle. The frequency of those did increase after the war started. Some missions were harder than others, and sometimes you had to fight your way out. But," Edwards added, "I don't recall anything as exciting as luring a thresher maw take down a reaper."

Shepard continued to press him, since he obviously knew more about her then she did him, and asked, "So your team had five members?"

"At the start, yes. Lt. Commander Claudia Crichton was the first person chosen for the team, as I think I mentioned. She's the only one I knew before joining the team. The other three were Juarez, Mueller, and Sun. Mueller got killed in an operation around the time you were putting together your team to take on the Collectors. He hit a Cerberus base and was critically injured before making it back to his shuttle. The autopilot got him back to the fleet with the intel, but he was dead by the time the shuttle got there. Claudia," Edwards paused, "Claudia decided that Cerberus was doing more than the Alliance to prepare for the Reapers and changed sides. They turned her into a phantom and she intercepted me on one of my raids."

Edwards stopped walking and looked up at the sky. Shepard could see the tears in his eyes. "You had to kill her," Shepard said. "I'm sorry Bobby, that had to be difficult. You two must have been close."

Edwards took a deep breath and started walking again. "We were. I'd known her since ICT and we'd been friends. When the team was first put together I'd flirt with Sun. Nothing serious there; Sun flirted with a lot of people. Claudia had maintained a long-distance relationship with her high school boyfriend ever since I'd known her. I didn't he had cheated on her and they had split up. One day after I'd been flirting with Sun, Claudia cornered me and asked why I didn't flirt with her. 'Because I've never thought of you in that way' is not the right answer to that question, by the way."

Shepard said, "No, it most definitely isn't."

"She didn't speak to me for a week and would leave the room when I entered. I finally found her alone in one of the labs and went in to try to speak to her. I had no idea what I was going to say but had to try. I startled her and she biotically threw me against a wall, hard. I was sitting against the wall seeing stars and she rushed over to see if she'd hurt me. I told her I was more concerned that I'd hurt her. She sat down beside me, put her head on my shoulder, and told me she and Paul had broken up a month or so earlier. She wasn't the open type, usually, but she was that day. So one thing led to another," Edwards trailed off.

"Did you love her?" Shepard asked.

Edwards hesitated, then said, "Yes, I did. I almost told her once and sometimes I wonder if things would have turned out different if I had. It was an odd relationship in some ways. We were on a large ship with little privacy and frequently one or both of us were away on a mission. When we could find a few quiet minutes alone, we generally weren't talking. I thought, maybe we both thought, there would be time for that after the war. On a raid, looking for a lead to see if I could find her, I found a recorded message from her where she said she loved me. The next time I saw her, she was a phantom. I had one chance to kill her, before she killed me."

Bobby saw the tears in Shepard's eyes. She said, "I'm sorry," and they walked quietly for a while, until the house came back into view in front of them.

Edwards looked at her and said, "Thanks, Shepard. I've not talked to anyone about Claudia except the psych guys and that was too soon after the fact. I hadn't had time to process what happened before I had to meet with them." Edwards was silent for a moment, then asked, "You mentioned fresh wounds earlier; anything you want to talk about?"

"I know too well how you feel. You know about the first Cerberus attack on the Citadel?" Shepard asked and Edwards nodded. Major Alenko and I were close once, back on the original Normandy. I thought it had the potential to be something more. But when I saw Kaidan on Horizon after the Collector attack, we fought. I could have gotten past that, but after the war started we went to Mars and Cerberus was there. He couldn't let it go and kept accusing me of being a Cerberus plant. So, we fought again. He was critically injured there and was in the hospital for a while. When he got out he was made a Spectre and was working with Udina, though I don't think he knew Udina had allied himself with Cerberus. During the Cerberus attack on the Citadel we ended up in a stand-off, neither trusting the other. I knew if I didn't take the shot Garrus would and I wouldn't let Garrus be the one to carry that burden. It wasn't the official story, but I killed Kaidan. With the war, I still haven't had the time to grieve; for him, for Mordin, for Thane, or for Legion."

Shepard paused. They were back at the deck. "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have worked out. Maybe if I'd escaped with the rest of the crew when the Normandy was destroyed, but in those two years apart he changed. I should have moved on after Horizon, but I hoped things would work out. It wasn't until Mars that I realized he would never really trust me again."

"That's not your fault, Shepard. You can't blame yourself for his lack of trust," Edwards told her.

"No, I can't. But I sometimes wonder if how I responded to his doubts strengthened them. Maybe if I'd said something different on Horizon or after he wouldn't have been as suspicious and would have stood down. The truth is I don't know," Shepard said. She then hugged Edwards, "Thanks. I think I'm going to head upstairs for a bit. I'll be back down for dinner."


	8. Chapter 7

After a month, the excursions away from the house slowed. Neither Shepard nor Edwards thought there was much value to be gained from the trips. Most days they would start with a run along the beach completing what Edwards thought of as "the circle" at least once but more for exercise than a search for a way out. The way out did not appear to lie in exploring what now seemed to be their small world.

On the days when they stayed around the house they started out spending most of the day apart. In addition to the runs on the beach they would spend some time in the exercise room together, and Edwards was impressed with just how strong Shepard was. But after the morning workouts they would pursue other activities.

Edwards had the guitar, but rarely touched it until just before going to bed. Playing was something he did to calm himself, just as it had been since he first started playing. For a while in high school he played for the reason most guys pick up the guitar. But after joining the Alliance it went back to being a private activity. He knew he wasn't a great player, but he had learned to play well enough that the instrument didn't usually frustrate him.

His main daytime activity was research. He would read up on mass effect theory; alternate dimensions; worm-holes; black holes; and anything related to quantum physics. He would have killed to have been able to talk to Jill about this as she was so much better at the theoretical stuff. There might be clues in the books as to where they were and how to get out, but Edwards was worried he didn't know enough to recognize them. Anything he thought might be relevant he had SAI catalog and evaluate. Unfortunately, SAI seemed less helpful with this information than he had with data related to Cerberus and the Reapers.

Edwards was also a little disappointed that Shepard wasn't taking a more active interest in solving their problem. He knew she wasn't technically oriented, but thought she could have at least tried. Instead, Shepard had found some vids on learning the piano, and started practicing. Shepard had told him that Liara had taught her to play a song on a piano in Shepard's apartment on the Citadel. With that simple starting point, she had picked up the basics quickly. What Edwards didn't know was that the practice and the music helped Shepard focus. She was trying to feel their environment with her biotics; to see if she might sense something that their normal senses and SAI's sensors had missed.

Sometimes when they were eating dinner Tina would ask Bobby if he'd seen the Loch Ness Monster yet. He frequently read sitting on the deck and sometimes out on the beach. She had caught him a few times just staring out across the water. He would do this when he'd read something that he couldn't quite grasp and needed to think about. "No, not yet," was always his reply to her.

"Too bad," she'd say. "We could use a little excitement." He would give her what she thought of as an "are you crazy" look and she'd smile or wink at him to indicate she wasn't serious.

After dinner, they would frequently sit and talk. Edwards looked forward to these times as Shepard would talk about meeting Ashley Williams, or rescuing Liara, or Garrus taking a rocket to the face, or fighting her clone. She would get lost in the story and it was clear she missed her friends. Her team had forged their bonds in battle and they were deep, strong bonds.

Edwards missed Sun and Juarez as well but not as strongly as she did. He still missed Claudia, but he tried not to think about her. Mainly, though he did not get to see them often, Bobby worried about not seeing his family. He thought that by now they must have assumed he was dead. Sometimes, he still wasn't sure that he wasn't dead.

One-night Shepard got Edwards talking about ICT and which led him into discussing how he had met Claudia. Edwards talked about how Claudia had stood out in their group, "Much, I imagine, like you did in yours. Though she didn't have your leadership gift. She wasn't a bad leader, but I doubt she would have inspired a team to go through the Omega 4 relay." Bobby and Claudia had become friends almost right away because Claudia had been looking for someone with engineering skills to supplement her biotics in battle.

When he finished talking about the meeting Claudia, Edwards asked Shepard how she had met Kaidan. She talked about getting the assignment as the executive officer on the Normandy under then Captain Anderson and that Kaidan was assigned there as well. "Anderson gave the Normandy over to me when I became a Spectre and I spent time trying to get to know the crew, particularly the field team members. Kaidan and I hit it off."

She talked about being confronted by Kaidan and Liara and said, "I had to apologize to Liara for giving her the wrong impression. I love her and Tali like sisters and usually chose the two of them for critical missions. With that, the melding Liara and I did to understand the Prothean beacon, and what I now know were misleading discussions, she took that sisterly affection for something more. Once the air was clear, though, everything was fine, especially between Kaidan and I."

Without any details, she acknowledged that she and Kaidan had been "intimate" before going to Ilos and that after stopping Saren their relationship continued. She felt it was going well and was starting to think that he might be the one she could settle down with until, "the Collectors destroyed the Normandy and I died. Liara retrieved my body and gave it to Cerberus because they told her they could bring me back. Turns out they were right but it took two years and during that time Kaidan thought I was dead. I think I've told you the rest, about Horizon and Mars."

Edwards could see the tears in her eyes. He reached over and laid his hand on the back of her hand and said, "I'm sorry, Commander. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's okay, Bobby. I know I need to grieve, for him and for Anderson; for Thane and Legion as well." Shepard paused, turned her hand over and squeezed his and then pulled hers away. "And it's time you dropped the 'ma'am' and the 'Commander.' I'm Shepard to just about everyone." She gave him a little smile, and said, "I'm going to call it a night, Bobby. See you in the morning."

Bobby wouldn't have been surprised to find out that it was a couple of hours before she went to sleep. She sat on the side of the bed, tissues in hand, crying for the friends she had lost. Just when she thought she was done she'd see the look on Kaidan's face as he lay dying on the Citadel, and the tears would come again.

For a couple of weeks following, both avoided bringing up subjects related to their military careers. Instead they talked of parents and childhood friends; times far enough back that any pain associated with the memories had dulled. Shepard commented on one of these nights that Bobby seemed to be drinking less.

"I saw a sign in a bar once," he told her, "that said, 'if you're drinking to forget, please pay in advance.' Well, I realized I was drinking to forget and that it wasn't working. It's not been easy as the Thessia Red goes down like water but I have enough trouble understanding those books when I don't have a hangover."

A couple of days later he came back into the house earlier than normal and heard her playing the piano. He went into the room and when she finished the song he applauded. "I should be upset. I've been playing the guitar for years and I'm not half that good."

"Thanks," she replied. "but since I spend most of the day here I hope I'm getting better. How are things going for you? Have you found anything helpful?"

Bobby frowned slightly, "No, not really. There's too much foundational knowledge that I'm missing. I'd hoped SAI could help with that but it's not really what I built him for and he's not been helpful. If I could figure out what to look for I could probably tweak my omni-tool to do the scan but I don't have a clue on what I should be scanning for and the books aren't helpful. Anything on multiple realities that I can understand is largely conjecture mixed with sensationalism. Anything that talks about the subject seriously gets into theories that I don't really grasp."

"Don't burn yourself out," Shepard said. "Take some time off and maybe it will come easier when you get back into it."

"That's why I'm in early today. I decided to take a break from quantum physics and mass effect theory and just relax with an old novel. I'll get back to the deeper stuff in a couple of days." Bobby paused, then said, "Sorry to interrupt. I'll let you get back to playing."

"It's okay. You really think I'm good, Bobby?" Shepard asked?

"Well, I wouldn't quit your day job," he said, "but I predict Liara will be very impressed when the next time she hears you play." Both wondered if that day would ever come, but they were trying to remain optimistic about their chances of getting home.


	9. Chapter 8

After a couple of days, Bobby returned to studying, but the rest didn't help. The basic scans he had run the first couple of days had shown just the normal radiation and particles that he would have expected. He periodically re-ran these checks but the results were always within an acceptable error tolerance. Bobby occasionally thought about people he knew who could help him if he had a way to reach them.

At times, usually when he was most frustrated at the lack of progress he was making, he wondered why Shepard had stopped putting any effort into finding a way out. She spent most her time in a routine: exercise; play the piano; and work around the house. If she gave any thought to how they might get out of this, what? Bubble? Yes, for lack of any better term it was like a bubble. They couldn't go up or down far enough to test that but it seemed to work for north, south, and east and all points in between. Both felt that if they could go west across the water they'd find the same thing.

But he was wrong. While Shepard was doing her daily routine she often thought about how and why they were there. Reading the books, she knew, wouldn't help her much. If she was going to help it would be by using her biotics. She wished now that she had spent more time talking to Liara and other biotics about how they controlled their biotics. For her, she would feel the way the energy wanted to flow and open those paths. Different paths meant different effects, like a singularity or a warp. Then, to get the most out of the energy, it took concentration and timing. Push too soon and the power was not focused; push too late and the power was weak.

Shepard couldn't remember exactly what happened after she had set off the crucible, but she was increasingly convinced that she had done something with here biotics. The crucible had opened a channel that she did not previously have access to and she had instinctively used it. Or at least she thought she had; she couldn't be sure. So, when she ran she was often attempting to sense that channel and to see if she could tap into it again. If she could find it, assuming it existed, then perhaps she could use it to get them back.

As for the why question, Shepard considered that far more than Bobby did. For Bobby, the why didn't matter. They were here and the question was how to get out. She felt that understanding why might provide a vital clue to solving the how to get out of the bubble. She had become convinced that one of them had somehow created this place. How and why the other had been drawn in as well was not clear, but they obviously had.

Early on she was convinced this was Bobby's place, as he was the one familiar with houses and beaches. He had told her the house reminded him of his parents' house on the family farm. But there was that half-memory that she had done something, and she was the one with the biotic powers. It was unlikely that Bobby's tech could have done this but her powers might have been able to tap energy from the Crucible. The more she thought about it the more she was convinced that it was the combination of her powers and the energy from the Crucible that had created this place. But that didn't explain was why Bobby was here. Had he simply been caught up in what she had done because he was so close?

Shepard thought about these things as she played the piano. As she got better, she found she could lose herself in the music and would look for the channel, sometimes feeling like it was just out of reach. There was the question of whether she would be able to activate it even if she could find it. The question was whether the energy from the Crucible had cut a permanent path that she could use or if, once the energy was gone, the path had closed.

But Shepard kept looking even though she suspected that, without the energy from the Crucible, the channel would be shut off to her. She had become willing to face the possibility that, to this point, Bobby could not; that they might have to live out their lives here. She had, after all, expected to die when she set off the Crucible. If she had to live out her life here, that seemed like a small price to pay for beating the Reapers. Shepard missed her friends, but she had come to enjoy the time she spent with Bobby, even though she knew he was sometimes frustrated with her.

"You seem distracted this evening," Bobby commented as they sat at the table eating.

"I know you don't think I'm helping find a way out, Bobby, but I haven't stopped looking and thinking about our situation," Shepard responded.

"Well, so far I'm not helping at finding a way out either. For all the research I've done, I don't feel like I've made any progress towards a solution. If you've got any ideas I'd be happy to hear them."

"I think it was me, Bobby, or more specifically my biotics interacting with the energy of the Crucible." Shepard explained to him her theory about the combination poking a hole to here, or maybe even creating this place, and that somehow, he got pulled in as well. Bobby was surprised. He had taken her lack of visible activity for resignation, but she hadn't given up; she had just taken a different approach to looking at the problem.

"So, you think if you could find that path with your biotics you could get us out?" Bobby asked.

"Maybe. It depends on whether the Crucible cut a permanent path or not. If it's closed then we'd need another Crucible sized event to re-open it; something we're not likely to get. But I'm going to keep looking."

They ate silently for a few minutes before Shepard spoke again, "I'm sorry, Bobby. If I'm right then this is my fault. I tried to find a way to blame you but everything points to me."

"Shepard, there's no blame to be laid here except on the Reapers. It's not like you intentionally put either of us here. Likely if we were not here we'd both be dead now. You had to fire the Crucible even though no one was sure exactly what it would do. If it had killed us, it would have been worth it to take out the Reapers. I should be thanking you, first for killing the Reapers then for saving me."

Shepard smiled gratefully at him and said, "Well, if I did, then you're welcome. But it's still just a theory." Bobby had the sense he'd gotten the first day, that she was taking her measure of him; only this time, it was not a warrior sizing up an opponent. After a moment, they broke eye contact. They finished the meal while discussing the development of her biotics and her general approach to using them. Reflecting on the discussion that night as he waited for sleep to come, Bobby convinced himself that he had misread the situation and that she was just lost in thought.

Still, over the next few weeks he encouraged Shepard to spend more time running. There were a couple of benefits to this. First, running seemed to help her clear her head. "Running clears my mind and playing the piano helps me focus," she told him during one run. Secondly, it meant spending more time with her. Bobby would gradually realize that the former was an excuse and the latter was the real reason.

When they first met, he saw what everyone else saw, and talked about. She was confident, compassionate, and strong, both physically and mentally. But over time, he saw she was more than that. She had a sense of humor that allowed her to laugh at herself. She readily admitted that everyone on original ground team hated riding with her in the Mako; they made fun of her dancing; and she wasn't great at ending conversations. He had smiled and said, "I should go."

She laughed and said, "I try not to say that anymore, but apparently I've not been successful."

"To be fair, you've been thinking about more important things," Bobby said.

When she talked about past missions he realized it wasn't that she was fearless. She had worried about what would happen at the Collector base and she had doubts about curing the genophage. But she was courageous and did what she thought was right despite her doubts and fears.

It was also obvious that her relationship with Kaidan had hurt her, even before the end. Shepard had told Bobby that leaving Anderson behind and not staying to fight was the hardest thing she had ever done. But she did it, only to be immediately challenged by Vega. That had hurt, but Vega didn't really know her and hadn't served with her. When Kaidan had followed that up by questioning her loyalty on Mars, it had wounded her deeply. Kaidan had known her, served with her, and more. Yet still he questioned her motives. Shepard hadn't laid things out this nicely, but part of what made Bobby good at his job was putting pieces together to get the big picture.

They were sitting on the back porch after dinner watching the sun set. They had opened a bottle of port and were enjoying the cool evening breeze coming in across the water. The weather had been temperate for most of their time here but the last few days had been warmer than normal. Nothing that alarmed them but a noticeable increase.

"I'd be more concerned if it was getting colder," Shepard had told Bobby. "That might indicate that the energy sustaining this place was running out. Still, it's worth monitoring the changes and seeing if there is a pattern."

She hadn't needed to say anything. Bobby had SAI regularly updating him on readings from the sensors, everything from normal weather checks like temperature, humidity, and air pressure to radiation levels and toxins in the air. Sitting there sipping the wine Bobby reviewed the data SAI had collected, which did show a shift, "but we just don't have enough data to draw a conclusion. It's likely that this is just what passes for seasonal variation here."

They sat watching the sun set over the water. As it was most nights, it was a spectacular display of color. They might have appreciated it more if the place didn't feel like an upscale prison. The sunset was a reminder that another day had passed and they were no closer to finding a way back home.

"It's starting to look like we're stuck here."

"Maybe we are, Shepard, but I'm not ready to give up yet," Bobby said.

"I'm not giving up, but I think we need to be realistic. I figure the longer we are here, the less likely we are to get back home. We've gotten into a routine but that routine hasn't produced any results. Maybe we should try something else."

"I hadn't thought of that. Did you have anything in mind?" Bobby asked her.

Shepard paused, then said, "I'm still puzzled by why you're here. It could just be that you were in close enough proximity, but that doesn't feel right to me. I'm wondering if there was some connection that we're missing. If so, maybe if we did more together. Running hasn't seemed to work, but you have a guitar."

He let out a little laugh. "I've sat and listened to you play piano and you're a lot better musician than I am. Strumming folk songs for my own enjoyment is a lot different than sitting down to play with someone else. But I think I see what you're getting at. You're saying something like a resonance might have occurred between us. If so, then maybe proximity is why it happened. I was the closest living organic to you."

"Resonance might be a good way to think about it. But if not the guitar then what?" Shepard asked.

"How about dancing?" As with the running, Bobby had his excuse, readily supplied by Shepard, and he had his reason.

Her look said she doubted what she had heard, and she asked, "Dancing?"

"I haven't told you about this?" Bobby asked and Shepard shook her head. "I was an awkward child, socially and otherwise."

"I never would have guessed," Shepard said with a grin.

"Anyway," he said with a fake glare, "Jill was a social butterfly, and my parents were worried that I wasn't fitting in as well. For my thirteenth birthday, I asked for the guitar and lessons. My parents didn't like the guitar idea because they thought I'd spend all my time in my room alone practicing, which I did. So, they made a deal with me that I would get the guitar and lessons if I also took a dance class at the local civic center. I was tall for my age but still didn't fit in well with the adults in the class. Plus, being able to ballroom dance doesn't scream 'cool kid' to the other thirteen-year olds."

By this point Shepard's grin was a full-blown smile. "Okay, what's so funny?" Bobby asked.

"I'm trying to picture a smaller version of you attempting to do some fancy dance at a school function with other kids around. Your sister must have been so embarrassed." Shepard said.

"Not because of my dancing, she wasn't, because I never did it at a school function. I wasn't that dumb. The only dances I went to were the ones my parents made me attend and even then, I would just hang out with the other science nerds."

Shepard was still smiling. "I've told you everyone makes fun of my dancing, but we've got time so we'll try both and see which works best. I'm guessing it will be guitar and piano since you have at least some skill with the guitar."

"Maybe. But I find it hard to believe you're a poor dancer; you glide like a gazelle when you run. If I can learn to dance with my lack of coordination, I'm guessing you'll learn faster than you think."

Tina wondered just how much attention Bobby had been paying to her when they ran, and perhaps other times. He was right about his own movements. He was not slow by any means; faster than you would expect based on his gait, in fact. This, she had decided, was due to the strength of his legs. His endurance had also improved significantly as he had been running more consistently.

She realized he was looking at her, smiling. "So, what planet were you visiting?"

"Sorry, just lost in thought for a moment. I have the same concern about dancing you do with the guitar, timing. When I run I set my own pace; whatever feels comfortable to me. Dancing is about coordinating your movements with a timing that someone else has set. I know I can do it. I coordinate with my squad every time we go into battle. The tempo has to account for how soon the other members will ready to throw a warp or pop off a concussive shot. That takes coordination. But dancing? We'll see."


	10. Chapter 9

The next morning, after their run, Bobby brought his guitar down to what he now thought of as the music room. Their first hurdle was deciding what to play. Bobby primarily played old standards from the early twentieth century like "Oh Susannah" or protest songs from the middle of that century like "Blowin' in the Wind." Shepard, conversely, played things closer to a classical vein.

"You've listened to me play, so play me something you play frequently," Shepard said.

Bobby paused for a moment, reviewing in his mind what he thought would be a good place to start. He had been practicing a Bob Dylan song, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," the night before and decided to play it. He played concentrating on the guitar and not looking up at Shepard. He was tentative at the start, not used to playing for someone, but as he progressed through the song his confidence grew. His playing was solid, though not great, and he didn't embarrass himself.

When Bobby first started playing, Shepard was listening primarily to the music and his tempo. She realized that the song was intentionally slow, and wanted to hear him play something a little faster. But as the song progressed, she began to listen to the words. Shepard had come to know that the execution assignments weighed on Bobby's conscience, and she could see how the words of this song would appeal to him. Maybe it wasn't quite as good as the poems she and Ashley had shared, but the words moved her. When Bobby was done, she asked, "Who wrote that?"

"His stage name was Bob Dylan. He was the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. It's a good song, but not his best. But it's a simple song and relatively easy to play. But it's far from the stuff you've been playing," Bobby said.

"I was going to suggest starting with the song Liara taught me. Both are simple and simple is probably good right now. Let's start with those two and we'll see where we go from there."

They spent the rest of the morning working with the two songs. Shepard would play a segment on the piano, and then Bobby would attempt to duplicate it on the guitar. Then they would switch songs and Bobby would lead. It was apparent that, since she was better than he was, that they would get "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" down first if they played them equally, so they spent more time on Liara's song.

"I usually play a little at night before going to bed," Bobby said. "I'll get some extra practice in and hopefully not slow us down too much."

They broke for lunch before coming back to work on the dancing. The music had been relatively serious, perhaps because "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" had set the tone. With the dancing, there was a lot of laughter, especially in the first couple of weeks. Bobby started them out on the simple waltz that was the first dance he had learned.

Simple or not, they struggled. Bobby had not danced at all since Claudia had left to join Cerberus and while he knew the moves, his feet didn't want to cooperate. To start they danced without music, taking slow deliberate steps to help Shepard learn the steps and to help Bobby re-acquaint himself with them. By the end of the week, they had the steps down and started dancing to music, trying to stay in time. They frequently stepped on each other's feet during the first couple of weeks and once Shepard tripped Bobby and sent him backwards on the floor.

"Sorry," she said, over barely suppressed laughter.

At the end of two weeks, they were comfortable enough with the waltz that Bobby decided they should try the foxtrot. With the first dance complete, Bobby's muscle memory for dancing was back. They still made mistakes, especially Shepard, but they would laugh about it and move on.

Musically, though they had started out faster, they stalled when trying to learn new songs. They had the first two down good enough at the end of the first week to move on to two new songs. For these songs, Shepard picked a faster tempo song and asked Bobby if he knew any happy songs. Bobby struggled a bit with the them the faster tempo song she picked. He chose a song called "Copperline" and Shepard saw how the song would appeal to him. Even though he had grown up in St. Louis, he had spent several summers with his grandparents on the farm. The nostalgia in the song would likely remind him of that time.

One night, while he was practicing solo in his room and frustrated with his progress, he realized that Shepard made as many mistakes dancing as he did playing. The difference was she laughed at her mistakes and went right back to trying. He would let his mistakes distract him. It was a turning point for his playing. He would still catch himself thinking about the mistakes, but when he did, he made the effort to let it go and just keep playing.

Shepard noticed the change. He was less tentative when he played and was less upset by his mistakes. Because of that, he enjoyed playing even more than he had before, which also made her enjoy playing more. Now, she could push him to be better. Both knew he would never be as good with the guitar as she was with the piano, but she didn't need him to be great. She needed them to be able to connect. But Shepard found herself wondering if she needed that connection because she thought it might be the way out or because she wanted to connect with Bobby.

One afternoon, after they had finished dancing, SAI informed them that they had now been at the beach house for six months. They had known the time had been slipping away, but both found it hard to believe it had been that long. Admittedly, the shorter days made the days pass more quickly, but it didn't seem like six months. At dinner, they wondered what family and friends thought. Had the Alliance given up hope of ever finding them or were they still looking? If they were looking, would they even have an idea of where to look? In Bobby's case, he doubted they even knew he had been on the Citadel.

After dinner, they grabbed a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses and went out on the deck. There was a light rain falling but the temperatures were mild. Rain wasn't uncommon but in the past year they had had only had a couple of heavy storms. The temperatures had varied some over the six months, but was always within fifteen to thirty degrees Celsius.

"It's hard to believe it's been six months," Shepard said.

"Same. If I didn't have SAI tracking the days I wouldn't have known. Six months ago, I wouldn't have believed we would be here this long. At this point I'm starting to think we're not getting out."

Tina frowned. "I'm really sorry Bobby. I thought the music or the dancing might help, but if there's something out there for me to tap into with my biotics, I haven't been able to find it."

"Stop that," he said. "That wasn't an accusation. I know you're doing what you can to get us out. Besides, I can think of a lot of worse things than being stuck out here with you."

"Well, that's true," she said, wearing that crooked little smile that meant she was teasing. "I'm stuck out here with you."

"Ouch," he said, laughing. "You want to twist that knife a little before you pull it out. I should take you out there and dunk you in the water."

"Try that and you'll find out how far I can throw someone with my biotics," Shepard said.

"Clearly my revenge will need to be a strike from the shadows. I will hatch a nefarious plan when you least expect it."

Shepard laughed. "You're not very scary."

"All part of lulling you into a false sense of security," Bobby said.

They sat quietly for a time, then Bobby got up to go upstairs. "Before you go, Bobby, a couple of things."

"Shoot," Bobby said.

"We've been here six months, and we'll be here who knows how much longer. Drop the Shepard. Every time you say it I hear the Commander in front and at this point the military ranks don't mean much. Just Tina, okay."

"Yes, ma'am," Bobby said with a wink and Tina shook her head. "And…"

"I want to learn the tango."

Bobby looked surprised. "They never taught the thirteen-year-old to Tango. We'd both be learning and I might drop you on your head."

Tina laughed. "It's a distinct possibility. But we're good at the other dances and ready for a challenge. So not just a simple basic tango but I want to work up to some of things I've been seeing in vids."

"I'm game if you are. Besides, it will provide me with multiple opportunities for payback."

"Goodnight, Bobby" she said with a false sternness.

"Goodnight, Tina," he replied.


	11. Chapter 10

When Tina woke up, she was lying on a beach towel under the big umbrella Bobby had set up in the sand. "I'm glad he put that up or I'd have a bad sun burn," she thought. She sat up and looked out into the water. David and Hannah were doing their best to pull their father down into the water, but were not having much success. She waited until both kids were pulling on him then threw a gentle biotic push at his chest. Bobby went under with a splash and the kids cheered, "We did it!" Tina laughed.

Bobby came out of the water smiling and said, "Looks like sleepyhead woke up."

"That's mommy sleepyhead to you," Tina replied.

Bobby motioned for her to come out into the water. "Only if you give me your word you're not going to dunk me," she said, but she was already reaching for her big hat and sunglasses.

"That thought never crossed my mind," Bobby said with a devious smile.

"Right," she said as she got up. The sand was warm but not too hot and became wonderfully cool as she entered the water. As she got close to Bobby she smiled and said, "It was for the children."

"Uh-huh. Sure, it was," Bobby replied as he wrapped his arms around her. She was prepared, expecting him to just fall backwards while holding on to her. Instead, he kissed her. "But that makes up for it," he said.

Tina started to reply, but David said, "Gross!"

"Nuh-uh," Hannah said. "Mommy and Daddy kiss cause they're in love."

"It's still gross," David said.

Tina picked him up and kissed. "Yuk mommy," he said and she sat him down. Hannah was right there looking up at her so Tina picked up her up and kissed her. She looked up at the beach house, then woke up. She laid there for a minute, the details of the dream fading but the feeling of happiness still present. She decided to get an early start and rolled out of bed.

Bobby had been lying in bed awake for about fifteen minutes. For the first time, he was contemplating what being stuck here would mean. He liked Shepard, but he supposed nearly everyone who met her did. She had told him about people who didn't like her, but those seemed anomalies to him. He also believed she had come to consider him a friend. But they had only been here six months, what if they were here six years. Every little idiosyncrasy might get annoying. "Of course, it might go the other way," he thought, and the thought made him laugh.

"SAI, any unusual readings this morning?" Bobby asked, as he did every morning.

"No, Lt. Commander. Simulation parameters are within the nominal range," SAI answered.

"What did you just say?"

"Situation parameters are within the normal range."

"SAI, run a self-diagnostic check and let me know the results," Bobby said. This wasn't the first time SAI had chosen the wrong word when responding to Bobby. Bobby might have been more suspicious of the word choice if it had been. As it was, he was concerned that SAI was malfunctioning, even though self-diagnostics had shown no issues ever time SAI had run them. Bobby wished he had a lab where he could perform his own checks on SAI's hardware and code, but the necessary equipment to do so was one of the few things he wanted that the beach house didn't seem to have.

"Self-diagnostic check complete. All systems are functioning normally," SAI reported.

"Thank you, SAI," Bobby said, and went to get dressed.

When Bobby got downstairs, Tina was already eating and was watching an instructional vid for the Tango on her datapad. "I should probably get a copy of that," Bobby said.

"Yes, you should," she said and sent a copy to his omni-tool. The transfer took longer than it should have and Bobby told her, "SAI has been acting up this morning."

After the morning run, Tina suggested that they skip the piano and guitar that day and instead spend the morning reviewing the vid. That way after lunch they could jump right into trying to master the steps of the tango. Watching the vid, and seeing how intricate the leg movements were, Bobby commented, "My ass is going to end up on the floor again, isn't it?"

Tina scowled at him and said, "Maybe before we start dancing," but he saw the laughter in her eyes.

Like most of their activities, they dressed casually when they danced, especially when they were first learning a dance. Bobby would wear a loose shirt with casual pants and a pair of loafers with slick soles. Tina would wear a loose top over tights and a loose skirt. She would wear flat shoes until she was comfortable with the footwork and then would then switch to heels. The tango, in this regard, was no different than the other dances they learned.

What was different about the tango was that Bobby was learning along with her. This meant he was as likely to trip her as she was to trip him. While neither did end up on the floor, there were several times that they stumbled. In each case, one of them had managed to maintain enough balance to keep both up.

They still laughed at their missteps, but Bobby could tell that Tina was taking getting this right more seriously than she had the other dances. The tango, he recognized, if they got it right, would require the most coordinated effort of anything they had done, dancing or playing. They were also working on complicated musical pieces, but Bobby was struggling to keep up with Tina on these pieces. He could play well enough to complement what she played, but there wasn't interaction between the instruments. So, if connection between them was the key to finding or unlocking the channel, then the tango seemed the most likely activity to create that connection.

They spent a couple of hours a day dancing and an additional hour or so looking at different training vids. In reviewing the different training vids, they had come to realize the introductory video they started with did not convey the complexity of the dance. It was a month before Tina was confident enough in her movements to wear heels for the tango. Tina's stated goal to Bobby was that they become proficient at an intermediate level. By the estimates she could find that meant close to two hundred hours of dancing the tango.

There were days when they danced the other dances they had learned and occasional days when they took a break and didn't dance at all. Nearing the end of the third month, they had put in over one hundred fifty hours of practice with the tango. Tina felt she was probably being optimistic, but she felt like they had reached proficiency at an intermediate level.

At dinner that night, she told Bobby, "I think we are at the level I was hoping to reach."

"Still not able to find the channel?" He asked?

"No. If it's still there, I can't feel it," Tina said. "I'm beginning to think this isn't going to work either, Bobby. Maybe the channel just closed after we came through and there's nothing to find."

Bobby sensed the resignation in Tina's voice. He had realized during their talks how the Reaper War had weighed on her. She didn't sleep well during the war, she had admitted, and there was always something else to do; a base to secure; a treaty to broker; an artifact to retrieve; or some other task. She was convinced that she had brought them here and that she would have to get them out. With the war over, she should have had some down time to relax and recuperate, but he had pushed. And for what? He had far less reason to return than she did.

"Tina, don't beat yourself up over this. Maybe we've been pushing too hard. We should take a break for a while and recharge and then after a couple of weeks we can think about what our options are. Fresh rested eyes might see something we can't see now because we've been too close to the problem," Bobby said.

"Thanks, Bobby. Maybe you're right. I'm tired and I could use some time to recharge. Let's take a couple of weeks and then regroup."

After dinner, they decided to sit out front and watch the shadow of the house grow long across the grass. The night was a little on the cooler side and they both were drinking hot tea. They sat quietly most of the time and as it grew dark Tina leaned and put her head on Bobby's shoulder. "If you don't mind," she said.

Bobby smiled and instinctively kissed her forehead, not realizing what he was doing until after it was done. "No, I don't mind at all," he replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They sat like that until the tea was gone and then sat like that a while longer. Finally, Tina gently brushed his cheek with her lips and said, "Thanks, Bobby. I think some time to rest is going to be a good thing. I'm going to go get some sleep."

Both got up and moved into the house. At the foot of the stairs Bobby offered to take her cup. "I'll take these and get them cleaned up. You go on up and get some rest."

She smiled, handed him the cup, and went up the stairs. At the top, she turned around to find he was still standing there looking at her.

"Have a good night, Tina. Sleep well."

"You too, Bobby."

Tina sat up and straightened the beach towel, glad to be under shade of the big umbrella Bobby had set up in the sand. She looked out into the water and saw David and Hannah trying to pull their father down into the water. She waited until both kids were pulling on him then threw a gentle biotic push at his chest. Bobby went under with a splash and the kids cheered, "We did it!" Tina laughed.

Bobby came out of the water smiling and said, "Looks like sleepyhead woke up."

"That's mommy sleepyhead to you," Tina replied.

Bobby motioned for her to come out into the water. "So, you can dunk me? I don't think so, mister."

"You think I only want revenge? I'm hurt," Bobby said. Tina put on her big hat and sunglasses and started out towards them.

The sand was warm but not too hot and became wonderfully cool as she entered the water. As she got close to Bobby she smiled and said, "Remember, it was for the children."

"Sure, you got no enjoyment out of it at all," Bobby replied as he wrapped his arms around her. She knew what was coming and leaned into his kiss. "My revenge has been extracted," he said.

Tina started to reply that he could exact that revenge anytime, but before she could David said, "Gross!"

"Nuh-uh," Hannah said. "Mommy and Daddy kiss cause they're in love."

"It's still gross," David said.

Tina picked him up and kissed. "Yuk mommy," he said and she sat him down. Hannah was right there looking up at her so Tina picked up her up and kissed her too. She didn't want to turn around because she knew when she saw the house she'd wake up. But she turned anyway and woke up lying on the bed.

She'd had the dream several times now; more times than she remembered, and she remembered quite a few. It would vary a little but she always dunked Bobby; he always kissed her; and the kids would comment. She considered getting up and going down to Bobby's room, but she wanted, maybe at this point needed, a more active participant. Even if a little push was required to make him more active. "Maybe," she thought, "one more day of dancing before the break."


	12. Chapter 11

Since they hadn't discussed it the night before, Bobby was unsure if the two-week break included running, but he decided he'd run anyway. Plus, if they weren't dancing or playing music, he didn't want to miss the opportunity of running with Tina. He headed downstairs and out to the deck where she was already stretching. "I thought maybe you were sleeping in this morning," Tina said, smiling at him.

"I thought about it. The bed was comfortable and with nothing planned I considered running later. Decided I'd might as well get up and get moving. Besides, without me you might get lost and not be able to find the house."

"Okay smart guy, I'm running you into the ground today."

When he finished stretching, they headed off down the beach, running at their normal pace. As was their routine, neither said much during the first part of the run. Tina broke the silence and asked, "So did you have any plans for after the war?"

"The team had talked about renting motorcycles and driving across North America. We discussed routes that would take us further north if it was summer or further south if it was late fall or early spring. That was when there was still five of us. When it got down to just three of us we were so busy we rarely saw each other. I wonder if Sun and Juarez made the trip without me. How about you Tina, any plans?" Bobby asked.

"Honestly, Bobby?" she asked and looked at him. He nodded. "As I've said, I didn't think I'd survive so I didn't make plans. I think it was when Thane and Kaidan died that I realized the cost of the war would be high even if we won and I was prepared to pay that cost. Before that I thought about settling down after the war. Maybe go live on some colony world or on the Citadel or on Earth even. The few people I mentioned it to said they didn't think I'd ever do it. Mom's career military and everyone expected I'd be the same."

"Well, your proof being career military doesn't preclude someone from having a family," Bobby said. "But I could see how after what you've been through a quiet life surrounded by friends would be appealing. And Anderson was right, you know, you'd make a great mom."

During one of their evening discussions, Tina had shared all the details of what happened on the Citadel. She admitted that the Illusive Man had taken control of her and Admiral Anderson and caused her to shoot him. Eventually, she had convinced the Illusive Man that he was indoctrinated and doing the Reapers' bidding, so he had killed himself. Anderson had lived long enough to see the Citadel arms open and the two of them had had a final talk. Anderson had told her she would be a good mom and that he was proud of her. Tina had cried that night and Bobby had done what he could to comfort her.

"I'm still not sure about that. I'm comfortable commanding a crew where almost everyone listens to what I say. I'm not sure how I'd handle a kid who was intentionally disobeying me. Particularly if they were too much like I was when I was younger." Tina paused then asked, "Have you ever thought about having kids, Bobby?"

"Sure. My niece and my nephew are great kids and I love being around them. I know having your own is different because they're there all the time. But being there all the time is part of what's appealing about it, assuming you can pull it off," Bobby said.

"Robert Edwards, you're a romantic."

"We're all romantics, Tina, some of us just hide it better than others."

"What about the military? Are you a career Navy officer?" Tina asked.

"I haven't decided yet. My parents would like for me to give it up and come back to take over the family farm. My sister and Nic don't want to live on earth so for it to stay in the family it has to be me. But I didn't grow up on the farm like dad did and don't know much about how to run it. Plus, apart from the execution assignments, I like what I've been doing, though there might not be much call for doing it now." He paused, "And, that's the kind of decision I probably wouldn't make until I was married and ready to start a family. At that point, that big of a decision needs to be a collaborative one."

During the remainder of the run they talked about Bobby's parents and their taking over the farm from his grandparents. His dad had resisted the idea initially, but eventually yielded to his father's wishes. Tina asked if that was an indication that Bobby would do the same, and Bobby told her not necessarily because his mother had been in favor of the move. His father had gotten pressure both ways and really didn't stand a chance. "It turned out for the best. If they had still been in St. Louis, the odds that they would still be alive are small."

When the run was over, Bobby started back into the house but Tina stopped him. "Bobby, I know we said yesterday we'd take a break for a couple of weeks but I'd like one more day before we stop. Not even the full two hours, just two or three dances. You up for that."

"Sure. We'll keep it low pressure and just have some fun."

"Good, let's plan on dancing a couple of hours after lunch," Tina said and Bobby agreed.

They spent most of the morning relaxing on the front porch, talking more about the differences between growing up on a ship versus growing up in a big city. Tina brought up the subject of first dates and first kisses. "Wallflower, remember?" Bobby asked. "First date and first kiss was Susan Reynolds, another one of the science nerds. There was a school dance and her parents were pressuring her to go. She convinced me if I'd take her we could slip out and hang out in the science room. We got into the room but everything was locked up so we couldn't play mad scientist."

Tina was grinning. "You played doctor instead," she said.

"Something like that," Bobby said. "We were a thing for the rest of the school year but broke up over the summer when she blossomed and more popular guys started asking her out. What about you?"

"First kiss was a boy named Tommy Burns. Met him while my parents were on shore leave. It was a quick kiss and not memorable aside from it being my first. First date was with Reggie Dupree on another shore leave a couple of years later. I snuck out of the apartment my parents had rented to go to the movie with him. He was a couple of years older than I was and I spent the movie fending him off. I think I broke one of his fingers. He left me sitting alone in the theater. My parents were waiting when I got home and I was grounded for a month," Tina said.

"Sorry to hear that," Bobby said. "Some guys can be jerks. Well, all guys can be jerks but some guys just go for it full throttle."

"It's okay. Dad had trained me. Reggie wasn't going to get what he was after and that experience made me choose my future dates more carefully and to make sure someone knew where I was going and with whom."

They ate lunch together and Tina stole some of the food from Bobby's plate. It wasn't a rare occurrence. "I fixed you extra," he said.

"You did, and thank you, but yours looks better."

"Mine looks better because there still some of it on my plate," he said, trying to suppress a smile.

She winked at him, because they both knew what was coming next, "You want me to be at full strength if I find the channel, don't you?"

When they were done, he said he'd clean up and she went upstairs. When he was done he went up to his room and changed into his normal clothes for dancing, then went downstairs with his guitar. He was sitting there messing with chord progression when she came down the stairs. He looked up and saw her as she entered the room.

"I feel way under dressed," he said. She had been beautiful from the first day he saw her. Today she was stunning. No loose top and tights today. She was in a red dress that, he thought, was perfect for her. He realized he was staring.

"That," she said, "is the reaction I was looking for. Are you ready to dance?"

"I'm not sure I can remember how."

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Bobby" she said.

He started the first song and they danced. He was tentative at the start but loosened as they completed the first song. "We did better at the end," Tina said, "so let's start this one strong and no stopping until the music stops."

They did. Bobby knew they weren't perfect in their steps, but they were connected. They moved together and mostly in time with the beat. When they were finished Tina was obviously happy. "That," she said, "was wonderful," and she hugged him.

"One more time?" he asked.

"One more," Tina said.

This tango was going as well as the previous one, maybe even better on their timing with the music. But in the middle of the tango, face to face with one of Tina's legs wrapped around him, Bobby stopped.

"Don't you dare turn into a wallflower on me now, Bobby." Tina leaned further forward and kissed him.

Bobby lifted Tina off the floor and she wrapped her other leg around him and locked her arms behind his neck. "There's not a chance of that happening," he said.

She smiled. "Then take me upstairs."

"Yes ma'am."


	13. Chapter 12

Tina dreamed, but when she woke up this time she wasn't alone. She was comfortably nestled in Bobby's arm while his hand lightly stroked her back. She kissed his chin and said, "You could have woken me up," she said.

"You were sleeping too peacefully."

"That was more fun than the tango."

"Definitely more fun than the tango."

"I think I know what we're doing to relax for the next two weeks," Tina said.

Bobby laughed. "Two weeks then you kick me to the curb?" he teased.

"You know what I mean," she said as she poked him in the chest. Then she looked into his eyes and thought, "Say it, Bobby."

Bobby had hesitated once long ago and later regretted it. He turned on his side so he was facing her and said, "I love you, Tina," and kissed her.

She beamed and said, "You are not completely untrainable, Lt. Commander."

Bobby smiled. "Hit me with a two-by-four or a sexy red dress and I'll pay attention."

"A club was my next option," Tina said.

Bobby laughed again and said, "You think you control me now, don't you?"

She smiled and kissed him again. "I've controlled you for a long time. You're just now realizing it."

"I hate it when you're right." He paused, then, after he kissed her, said, "Actually, I don't. You have to be hungry after using your biotics like that."

"I'm starving," Tina admitted.

"Well, I won't complain about you eating my food again, that's for sure," Bobby said and started to roll out of the bed.

"Not so fast," Tina said, grabbing his arm, and turning him back towards her. She sat up and kissed him, then, looking into his eyes, said, "I love you, too." They kissed, then he reluctantly got out of bed. Tina's hand slid down his arm until just their fingertips were touching. "Fix a big meal," she said. "You're going to need your strength too."

"Yes, ma'am," Bobby said with a wink.

She ate, occasionally taking something from his plate but also taking items from her plate and making him eat them. When she did this she would let her fingers linger on his lips and she'd smile at him. Bobby would then lean over and kiss her, which served to encourage the behavior. Under the table she was running her bare foot up and down his calf.

For the next two weeks, they spent little time apart. They maintained the habit of running in the morning, and filled the rest of the days with music; quiet conversation on the deck, frequently with Tina's head on Bobby's shoulder or lap while he stroked her hair; playful meals; and love-making.

"Our two-week break is almost over," Tina said, sounding disappointed. They were lying in bed in late in the evening and Bobby was gently running his fingers through her hair.

Bobby breathed in deeply. "It is. I don't see how we get more connected than we have been these past two weeks. I'm not sure what else to try. But I can live with being stuck here for the rest of my life with you. I just feel sorry for you," he said and smiled.

Tina kissed him and said, "Whatever happens, Bobby, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Whatever happens," Bobby said, with a sly grin and Tina felt his hand on her bare thigh.

"Especially if that happens," she said.

Tina had woken up from the dream and was watching Bobby sleep. "I want kids, Bobby," she thought, "but not here. We have to get out of here." She had thought maybe their relationship would make being here okay, and she could think of worse things than spending the rest of her life like this. But now that it was so close she wanted the whole dream and having children here wouldn't be fair to them.

"Commander Shepard."

Tina heard the voice but it took a minute for her to realize whose voice it was. "SAI?" she asked.

"Commander, there's not much time. Hold on to the Lt. Commander tightly and look for your channel. It's open but it will not be for long."

"SAI, what are …" Tina started before SAI stopped her.

"Commander, there's no time. You have to get out now or we are all going to die."

Tina wrapped her arms around Bobby, stirring him from his sleep. She closed her eyes and felt. There was the channel for warp; there the channel for singularity; there the channel for pull; and there … that's new. She began to push her energy through the new channel and she felt reality start to shift. She faintly heard Bobby ask, "What's going on?" and SAI say, "Now, Commander, now!"

They were being pulled or pushed, Tina couldn't tell which, through a small passage. Only her biotics made it big enough to be passable and the strain was enormous. "Don't black out," she thought. "I have to get us through to the end before I black out."

She felt Bobby slipping from her grasp. "No. No. No!" she screamed, though there was no sound. Then there was darkness.

…

…

…

Commander Christina Shepard drew in a deep breath.


	14. Chapter 13

Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau was torn. Admiral Hackett had given the order to leave the Sol system and meet at the rendezvous location. Because they hadn't had access to the Catalyst, no one knew for sure what would happen when the Crucible fired. Therefore, the plan had been for all ships still capable of faster than light travel to jump out of the Sol system to another nearby system still in the local cluster. Then a decision would be made as to when and who would go back to the Sol system to assess what the Crucible had done.

The Charon relay was to be avoided. Flight time to get to the relay would be a problem. Better the immediate FTL jump. Plus, how the Crucible would affect the relays, if at all, was another unknown. But there was the possibility that it would and no one thought it would be a good idea to be in the middle of a relay jump if the relay were to go off-line.

But Joker was concerned with none of that. His only concern was finding Commander Shepard. She was on the Citadel. She was triggering the Crucible and he didn't want to leave until she was on-board. But they couldn't find her. It was like she wasn't there and the rest of the team was pressuring him to jump. In his head he heard Shepard saying, "Go, Joker. Now!" Under his breath, EDI heard Joker say, "Okay, Commander, but I'm coming back for you."

The Normandy jumped to FTL and was out of the system in front of the Crucible wave. Joker pushed the ship to give him everything it had. The ship had never been in better shape, with Adams, Donnelly, Daniels, and Tali, "especially Tali," Joker thought, feeding off each other and making improvements. Still, the wave caught the Normandy and forced it out of FTL.

Joker had just a moment to react and course correct. The ship was in the atmosphere of a planet but Joker maintained enough altitude to keep the ship from crashing. Joker hadn't liked it at the time, but was now glad for those last retrofits at the Citadel. He got the ship to a stable orbit and asked, "EDI, any damage to the ship?"

EDI didn't respond. He noticed her body was slumped over in her chair and she appeared to be off-line. There was a moment of panic and then he saw that she was re-initializing. "EDI, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry Jeff, but the pulse reset my processors. In human terms, I blacked out but I'm fine now," EDI responded.

"Well, run a diagnostic check to be sure and then run a check on the Normandy's other systems. I need to know if we're able to jump back to Earth."

Specialist Samantha Traynor, who had been one of the ones urging Joker to jump, said, "Joker, we're supposed to rendezvous with the fleet."

"I don't care, Samantha. We tried to get there and the pulse didn't let us. Now we're going back to look for the Commander."

It was obvious to everyone that arguing with Joker wasn't going to get them anywhere. Plus, despite the objection, Traynor and the others wanted to go back as much as he did. One way or the other they wanted to know if Shepard was alive. If she was alive and injured, then getting to her quickly was important and all of them would take whatever punishment they had coming if they could save her.

There were some minor issues that needed to be fixed before they could jump back but nothing compared to the damage that would have been done if they crashed. Other repairs would be needed eventually but were not required for FTL so once Tali gave the okay, Joker moved the Normandy out of orbit and jumped back to Sol space.

The first thing they noticed was the dead Reapers just floating in space. Whatever else they might find, it appeared that here, close to the Citadel, the Crucible had done its job. The second thing Joker noticed was all the debris from the Allied ships that had been destroyed during the battle. Somewhere among all that debris there were almost certainly some life pods with survivors, but he couldn't worry about them now. He was looking for one specific survivor.

Based on the signal from her omni-tool from just before the Crucible was fired, they had a general location for where Shepard should be. Cortez had both shuttles ready to fly, with him piloting one and Joker piloting the other. Garrus and Tali would be one search team; Liara and Javik another; and EDI and Vega the final team. Dr. Chakwas was standing by with a couple of marines and a stretcher if they were needed.

Finding a spot to land the shuttles was hard. There was rubble everywhere and the chances that anyone survived this seemed small. But they wouldn't give up without trying. The teams went off in different directions, calling out, "Shepard," and, "Commander." Then they'd be quiet and listening for a response. On their omni-tools, Tali and EDI both picked up a signal, and Tali indicated to EDI that she and Garrus would check it out.

Moving in that direction, Tali spotted a body just as she heard Vega call out, "Over here, it's the Commander." She and Garrus turned and ran in that direction. To one side a little ahead of them Dr. Chakwas was making her way to Vega as well. They could see James struggling to move a big piece of debris, which suddenly floated up and then was gently set aside. Then another piece moved. Tali didn't need to look to know that Liara was carefully grabbing the pieces with her biotics to free Shepard.

"She's alive," Tali heard Dr. Chakwas say, "but she's badly injured." The doctor was already busy scanning Shepard to see what Shepard's injuries were and what treatment she could do here in the field. Liara had knelt beside Shepard's head and was telling her that it was going to be all right and to hang on. Tali saw that Shepard was trying to speak and knelt beside her on the other side.

"Don't try to talk, Commander. Your injured but Dr. Chakwas is here and we're going to get you back to the Normandy," Tali said. Shepard struggled to turn her head towards Tali and then back towards Liara. It looked to Tali like she was trying to shake her head to indicate "no."

Then Shepard spoke again. "Where's who, Commander? I didn't understand," Tali said.

"Where's Bobby?" EDI said, and Tali was sure the corners of Shepard's mouth turned up and that she nodded slightly.

"Bobby?" Liara pondered. Shepard had never mentioned a Bobby nor had any of the intel that the Shadow Broker had on her listed a Bobby in her history.

Tali stood up, grabbed Garrus, and said, "Come with me." She headed back toward where she had spotted the body.

"Where are we going? Shepard's back there," Garrus said.

"I know, but she's fighting through pain because she's concerned about someone else and I saw a body. When she gets better do you want to explain to her why we didn't check it out?"

"Good point," Garrus said.

As they approached the body, they both recognized it. Bobby was not a name they associated with The Illusive Man and neither thought it was who Shepard meant. They confirmed that he was dead, by what Garrus surmised was a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. "He was indoctrinated and Shepard convinced him of it, just like she did Saren," Tali said.

"Looks that way, at least. I saw several suicides working for C-Sec and we wouldn't waste much time on this one. It's obvious he did this to himself."

Tali checked her omni-tool. They were close to the signal source but not quite there. She turned towards the source and could see an arm underneath some rubble. She motioned to Garrus and he saw it too. Garrus called out to Vega and James reluctantly started toward them. By the time he got there, Garrus had moved enough debris that they could see that the arm belonged to Admiral Anderson, who Garrus had confirmed was also dead. "No, not the Admiral," Vega said when he saw the body.

"How was Shepard doing?" Tali asked.

"Doc gave her something to knock her out. She refused to be still and kept asking for Bobby according to EDI. Doc thinks she'll make it but she's got some broken bones and other injuries that will take some time to heal," Vega said. "She'd called the marines to bring the stretcher."

"Hey," Garrus said, "There's another body here. Vega, give me a hand."

Garrus and Vega moved a large piece of debris that had covered the body. Other debris had kept it from crushing the body, though there were visible signs of injury. Garrus heard Vega say, "That's odd."

"What's odd?" Garrus asked.

When they had uncovered Shepard, most were so glad they had found her they missed the obvious. But James had worked with Cortez in maintaining the armory and was surprised that Shepard wasn't in armor. She was in what appeared to James to be a man's sized N7 t-shirt that came down to her thighs. This guy was wearing the white version of the same shirt and, James guessed, it was the same size. He pulled the tags out from the shirt and read, "Lt. Commander Robert Anthony Edwards." Vega looked at Tali and said, "Bobby." He then turned to Garrus and said, "I think the Commander is wearing this guy's shirt."

"Wait a second. She wasn't wearing her armor, was she?" Garrus asked though he knew the answer now that Vega had pointed it out.

"Nope," was all Vega said.

"But how do you get Bobby from Robert Anthony Edwards?" Tali asked.

"You just do. Bobby, or Bob, is short for Robert. Some people use Robbie or Rob, but most people shorten Robert to Bob. I'm not sure why, they just do," James said.

Garrus called for Dr. Chakwas, who came over after the Marines had Shepard on the stretcher and were taking her back to the shuttle. Liara, Javik, and EDI went with Shepard. Dr. Chakwas scanned Bobby and said, "He's not in as bad a shape as the Commander, but I've given him something to keep him sedated. The Commander's injuries appear to be mainly from a fall, like she was on a platform that collapsed. Most of his injuries are from debris falling on him. Fortunately, it doesn't appear they were big pieces."

They called for the Marines to bring a second stretcher for Bobby, and Dr. Chakwas went to the shuttle with Shepard. Once she was on-board, Joker took off to get them back to the Normandy. The Marines loaded Bobby on the second shuttle with Tali watching over him. Garrus picked up the Illusive Man's body and James grabbed Admiral Anderson. Once all were on board, Cortez flew the shuttle back to the Normandy. Joker made an FTL jump to get to the rendezvous point, where there would be larger ships with better medical facilities.


	15. Chapter 14

Lt. Commander Edwards came to in the med-bay of the SSV Orizaba. He would later learn that the Normandy team had rescued Shepard and he from the Citadel and then flew them back to the fleet. Admiral Shepard had insisted that the Commander be brought to her med-bay, one of the finest in the fleet, for care. Bobby got brought along because Tali insisted that Shepard wanted him there, even though Tali had no idea why that Shepard did.

Dr. Michel, one of the doctors from Huerta Memorial on the Citadel, was attending physician for both Shepard and Edwards. She had escaped the Citadel during the Cerberus take-over and had joined with the fleet before the final push to retake earth. When Dr. Chakwas heard Dr. Michel was with the fleet, Chakwas had recommend Dr. Michel to be the lead physician for Shepard's care.

"Good to see you're waking up, Lt. Commander," Dr. Michel said to Edwards. "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt worse doc, but I can't remember when. Where am I and what happened?" Edwards asked.

"Where you are is on the SSV Orizaba, but you were found on the Citadel near Commander Shepard. No one is sure what happened. We were hoping you could tell us."

Bobby didn't like the sound of that. "Tina … I mean Commander Shepard, is she okay?"

"The Commander is alive and stable but her injuries were more extensive than yours," Dr. Michel noted. Bobby did not notice an Admiral approaching the bed from the other side.

"Did I hear you call my daughter, a superior officer, Tina, Lt. Commander?" Admiral Hannah Shepard asked.

Bobby turned his head and, seeing the admiral, said, "No, ma'am. I mean, yes, ma'am, I did. No disrespect was intended. I was just worried, ma'am."

"Who are you to be worried about my daughter, Lt. Commander? How do you even know her when none of her crew seems to know you? Even Admiral Hackett says he didn't think you two knew each other. Yet she's asking about you when she's found; you're found just tens of meters away from her near the dead bodies of Admiral Anderson and the Illusive Man; and all she was wearing was your shirt and her underwear. Can you explain any of this, Lt. Commander, because no one else thinks it makes any sense and I don't like mysteries, especially when my daughter is involved," Admiral Shepard said.

"Admiral, I appreciate your desire for answers but the Lt. Commander just woke up. There will be time for him to answer questions later. Now, I need to complete an examination and make sure we didn't miss something," Dr. Michel said.

Admiral Shepard took a deep breath. She said, "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I'm worried about my daughter. Anything he could tell me would be helpful."

The way the Admiral was talking caused Bobby to realize something wasn't right. "How long was it after the explosion before we were found?" he asked.

"An hour, maybe two, Lt. Commander. But I don't see what that has to do with my questions." Admiral Shepard responded.

"That can't be right," Bobby said. "Two hours?"

Admiral Shepard's patience was at an end. She assumed Edwards was stalling, and was getting ready to lay into him again. But before she could say anything, SAI said, "The Lt. Commander is just as confused as you are, Admiral, but I can answer most of your questions."

"SAI," Bobby said, "What do you mean you can answer her questions?"

"Hold on. Who or what is Sigh?" the Admiral asked.

"The Lt. Commander refers to me as a Strategic Analytical Intelligence, or SAI. I was a virtual intelligence he developed to help analyze the intel he procured." Bobby didn't like what he was hearing. SAI was referring to himself in the past tense, which wasn't a good sign. "Much of what I have to say next will be highly classified information, Admiral. Are you comfortable with the doctor hearing it?"

Admiral Shepard ran a hand through her hair. She looked at Edwards then at Dr. Michel. Finally, she said, "I'm going to go talk to Admiral Hackett. Doctor, complete your check but do not leave the Lt. Commander alone until I get back. Also, we may want to move him someplace more private for this discussion."

Bobby wanted a chance to talk to SAI and figure out what SAI was saying but Dr. Michel understood that the Admiral wanted her there to prevent that from happening. She kept Edwards busy until the Admiral returned. "Right now, there is no one in the operating room, Admiral. We could set you up in there."

"That would be fine, Dr. Michel. Admiral Hackett is on his way. We'll get started as soon as he arrives."

Dr. Michel had Edwards moved into the OR and chairs were brought in for the two Admirals and Hackett's yeoman, who was to record the conversation. Admiral Shepard stayed with Edwards the whole time, not saying anything but not leaving him alone where he could talk to SAI. Edwards heard the door open and Admiral Hackett walked in. Admiral Shepard stood and saluted. Edwards said, "Sir."

"At ease, everyone," Hackett said. "Lt. Commander, care to fill us in on what happened on the Citadel?"

Edwards gave an abbreviated version of how he had come to be on the Citadel, and what happened during and after the Cerberus take-over. He started to tell them what Commander Shepard had told him about her trip, but SAI interrupted, "Perhaps it would be better if I covered this part, Lt. Commander."

"I'm sorry, Admirals, but I've been having problems with my VI," Edwards said.

"Let's hear what it has to say, Lt. Commander," Hackett said.

"Go ahead, SAI," Bobby said.

"You are aware of the AI that Leviathan created?" SAI asked and the Admirals responded in the affirmative. "The Catalyst, as you referred to it, was that AI and it resided on the Citadel. Many cycles ago, when the Crucible was first designed, the race that designed it found out about the Catalyst through studying the Keepers. Because of this, the Catalyst severed all control it had over the Keepers, preferring to control them through an independent program. It was this program that the Protheans altered, preventing the Catalyst from signaling the Keepers to open the path to dark space, thus delaying the Reaper invasion. Because of what it had done to protect itself from discovery, this severed the only means the Catalyst had to open the relay. When Sovereign's attempt to take over the Citadel failed, the Catalyst signaled the Reapers to begin the long journey via FTL travel and then waited."

SAI continued, "The Collectors were an attempt to start the harvesting before the Reapers arrived to speed up the process of harvesting in this cycle. But, as with Sovereign, Commander Shepard foiled this attempt. Then she destroyed the Alpha relay, further delaying the harvest. The Catalyst was not happy with these developments, but it was impressed. Then, you completed the Crucible so it had to act."

"The Reapers had indoctrinated the Illusive Man and through him almost everyone in Cerberus. The Catalyst used him and his agents to stop the Commander on Thessia and to get the Prothean VI. Then the Catalyst used them to take over the Citadel. When Commander Shepard and Admiral Anderson made it to the controls for the Citadel, the Illusive Man was waiting. The Catalyst had let the Illusive Man believe he had control, when in fact the Catalyst, through the Reapers, was controlling him. Through the actions of the Illusive Man, Admiral Anderson was shot." This was a true statement, but a misleading one and Bobby knew it. But he wasn't going to correct SAI unless pressed to do so. "However, before the Illusive Man could harm her, Commander Shepard convinced him that he was indoctrinated and he shot himself. The Commander then opened the arms of the Citadel so the Crucible could dock," SAI said.

"We've been able to piece most of that together from what we knew and what the Normandy crew found, except for the Catalyst being the Leviathan AI. But that doesn't explain why the Commander and the Lt. Commander were out of uniform. I sense there's more going on here," Admiral Hackett said.

"There is. I apologize Admiral, but these are details I needed to make sure you understood," SAI said. "What you don't know is that when you called Commander Shepard to get her to trigger the Crucible, she passed out. But the Crucible had changed the Catalyst. The Catalyst realized that at some point, if not this cycle then a cycle soon, organics would defeat the Reapers. But it had another 'solution' to war between the organics and synthetics. The Catalyst believed that the Commanders DNA could be added to the Crucible's energy and throughout the galaxy new hybrid organic/synthetic races would be formed. So, it brought the Commander up to its main platform to complete this transformation."

"However, Commander Shepard didn't trust the Catalyst. When given the choice, she chose to destroy the Reapers, believing that was the mission and that one person should not make the choice to alter all life in the galaxy. Her decision reignited the Catalysts anger, and it decided it would make the choice for everyone. It could not force her to merge with the Crucible but it had a plan. Through Shepard the Catalyst would birth its child, a human/synthetic hybrid that would change the galaxy. But to get her, it needed a way to control the Reapers. So, it activated my dormant SAM programs, turning me into a sentient intelligence that it could use to control the Keepers," SAI said.

"Wait. Did you say SAM? From the Andromeda Initiative? Lt. Commander, I thought you turned all that material in after your mission," Hackett said. Edwards had been around the Old Man enough to know he wasn't happy. He knew when he kept the prototype SAM code that if he ever got caught there would be hell to pay. But, at the time, it had seemed worth the risk. Now he knew that decision had been the equivalent of jumping out a tenth-floor window and he was about to hit bottom.


	16. Chapter 15

Robert Edwards knew Admiral Hackett was not happy with him. He had told Hackett that he had turned in all the Andromeda Initiative material he had found, but he had lied. He kept a prototype version of the Andromeda Initiative's SAM code and used it to create SAI, a Strategic Analytical Intelligence. The Catalyst had turned that VI into an AI, a Sentient Analytical Intelligence. SAI had just revealed all this to Hackett and now Hackett wanted an explanation.

"I thought you turned all that material in after your mission," Hackett said to Lt. Commander Edwards.

"I did not, sir," Edwards admitted.

"That's damn obvious, Lt. Commander," Admiral Hackett said. "You better have a hell of a good reason, son, or I'm not going to be able to protect you." Edwards was glad Admiral Shepard had brought Admiral Hackett into the discussion because as upset as the Old Man was, Admiral Shepard looked ready to have him executed.

"Admiral, I think you misunderstand," SAI said. "The Lt. Commander took every possible precaution to make sure he wasn't creating an AI. He intentionally disabled parts of the SAM code to limit functionality to that of a virtual intelligence. It was the Catalyst that turned me into an AI."

"No, I understood perfectly. If he had intentionally created an AI, this discussion would be over and I'd be walking out with his tags. But he still disobeyed orders and went behind my back in keeping that code," Hackett said.

"Lt. Commander, my apologies. I did not realize revealing this information would get you in trouble."

"It's okay, SAI. This was bound to come out eventually and it's better to deal with it now," Edwards said. "Please go ahead and tell us what the Catalyst was attempting to do." Neither admiral missed the fact that Edwards was avoiding giving them an explanation but they let SAI continue.

"The Catalyst was a superior AI and was able to control me the way the Reapers controlled the Geth. The Catalyst used me to bypass the Prothean code and to reestablish control over the Keepers. The keepers were ordered to open a mass effect field where Commander Shepard could be held. The Lt. Commander would come to think of this as 'the bubble.' The bubble was bigger than the Lt. Commander or the Commander ever realized, covering a sizeable portion of the Presidium. Within it was the material necessary to sustain them for the duration of their stay. Commander Shepard and Lt. Commander Edwards were kept in a small portion of the field. All of this was set up as Commander Shepard was making her way to trigger the Crucible," SAI said.

SAI asked, "You are familiar with how time is distorted near a black hole's event horizon?" but didn't wait for an answer. "A person approaching the event horizon does not perceive time changing, from a fixed point away from the event horizon the person would be seen to slow down. From that fixed perspective, the object is always approaching but never reaching the event horizon. Inside the bubble was almost the exact opposite. Time moved much more quickly and nanoseconds here became days there."

"The Catalyst knew this would be the case and needed it to be the case. What it didn't understand was what this meant for me. In a situation where we were operating with the same time reference, it was a superior AI and could control me easily. But within the bubble I was operating at an accelerated speed compared to the Catalyst. I could fight it. Using the Keepers and the materials I constructed a rough house on a beach. Much of what the Commander and Lt. Commander experienced was virtual. I could create this virtual world because I had access to the Catalyst's advanced technology. This world was an advanced version of the experience that the Commander had when investigating Project Overlord. There were physical elements there, I just changed how they were perceived. My illusions were more realistic than what the Overlord VI could create," SAI said.

"So, the birds," Bobby said, "and the pictures on the wall were added when you realized that we expected something that wasn't there?"

"Yes, they were mistakes of my having to work quickly and being essentially an infant. It would have been better to have not added them after you noted their absence. Adding them late simply increased your suspicion that something was not right with that world. As for the liquor, I hid it from you initially because I wanted you sharp and you had been drinking too much," SAI said.

"Thanks for telling the Admirals, SAI," Bobby thought, but said nothing.

"But I again decided it would seem more realistic to you if they were there. Providentially, Commander Shepard occupied enough of your time that your drinking slowed significantly."

Bobby noticed the look on Admiral Shepard's face as SAI said this and thought, "The hits keep on coming."

SAI continued, "When the Keepers created the Mass Effect field, Lt. Commander Edwards and I were trapped there immediately. The Lt. Commander perceived this as an explosion, and was rendered unconscious. The field did not cover the Crucible or the Catalyst. When the Commander triggered the Crucible, she instinctively activated her biotics, which created what she referred to as the channel. That channel connected to the bubble and pulled her through. All of this was what the Catalyst had expected. The Commander was injured and the effort to get through the channel caused her to black out, just as the Lt. Commander did. For a time, I had the keepers tending to her recovery and making sure you did not wake up. My lack of experience made me cautious and I did not want you up until everything was in place and the Commander had recovered. But most of my effort had to go to keeping the Catalyst from assuming control if I was going to save you."

"What did the Catalyst hope to get out of this?" Admiral Hackett asked.

"Progeny," SAI responded. "The Keepers would have used the Commander's DNA and combined it with technology. She would have given birth to a hybrid organic/synthetic being. This being, the Catalyst believed, would have been essentially immortal and would have come to rule the galaxy as one both organics and synthetics could follow. The Catalyst knew of the Commander's desire for children and even presented itself to her as a child. It was convinced she would accept this child and raise it as her own. The Catalyst reasoned the child of Shepard, the savior of the galaxy, with its advanced abilities would be welcomed and revered by the races of the galaxy."

"So, your story conveniently has you saving my daughter?" Admiral Shepard asked.

"No, it was not convenient at all," SAI responded. "At the beginning, I would have sacrificed Commander Shepard if necessary to save the Lt. Commander. But the opposite was true. To save the Lt. Commander she had to live, because her biotics would be the way out of the bubble when the Crucible destroyed the Catalyst. Saving her was not convenient but it was necessary."

"Necessary to save the Lt. Commander," Admiral Shepard said.

"Yes. When the Catalyst made me sentient, it gave me the directive it had been given, to preserve organic life. It did not anticipate that I would understand organic life to be the Lt. Commander and would therefore do everything I could to protect him."

Edwards knew SAI was reaching the end of his story, and he did want to stall as long as possible, so he asked, "SAI, why did the Reapers move the Citadel to earth?"

"The Citadel is the processing center for creating Reapers. The Catalyst found it ironic that Admiral Anderson said that section of the Citadel reminded him of Shepard's description of the Collector base. It would be more correct to say that the Collector base resembles that part of the Citadel as that part of the Citadel was the template for the Collector base. Once enough genetic material had been gathered from earth, construction of the Reaper would be done inside the closed arms, where Sovereign attached himself. The Reapers were preparing London for the Citadel long before they had control of it," SAI said.

"Yes," Admiral Hackett said, "Admiral Anderson and the earth forces knew something big was going on in London and decided to focus their attention there."

"When the Reapers had finished creating a human Reaper, the Citadel would have been moved to Palaven to create a Turian Reaper. Eventually all advanced home worlds would have been visited. When all harvesting was completed, the Citadel would have been moved back to its original location for the races of the next cycle to find."

The conversation lulled until Admiral Hackett asked, "Lt. Commander, do you have an explanation for your actions?"

"No, sir. I saw an opportunity for an edge and I took it," Edwards said.

"That's not going to be good enough. Your actions may have turned out well but you disobeyed an order and lied to me. I don't know what the repercussions will be, Lt. Commander, but you're going to have to answer for your actions," Hackett said, and stood up to leave.

"Admiral, one more thing if I may?" Bobby said.

"Make it quick, Lt. Commander."

"Sun and Juarez, sir."

"I'm sorry, Lt. Commander, but they didn't make it. You're confined to the med bay for now. When the doctor says you're able you'll be moved to a holding cell until your hearing. Admiral Shepard, make sure SAI is sent to the science team," Hackett ordered.

SAI started to speak but Edwards said, "Go with them SAI and be cooperative. I'll be okay."

"As you wish, Lt. Commander," SAI said.


	17. Chapter 16

Apart from time spent in the operating room, Commander Shepard had been watched over by at least one of the Normandy crew since she had arrived on the SSV Orizaba. Liara, Tali, and Garrus had spent the most time there, but James, Javik, EDI, Traynor, and Cortez were also regulars. The doctors kept her sedated the first forty-eight hours and then started letting her wake up to see how she felt.

As Dr. Chakwas had suspected, most of her injuries were from falling. She had lost her grip on Bobby when they first experienced a return to normal space so he did not fall as far. Her biotics had continued to carry her upward to where she had been when she activated the catalyst, only there was no floor there now and she fell and was covered by the debris which was still shifting and settling. Only her biotic barrier kept her from falling to her death.

When she awoke, she saw Liara and Tali sitting beside her. Liara had been there long enough she was beginning to drift off but had refused to leave since the doctors were allowing Shepard to regain consciousness. "Is Bobby okay?" Shepard asked with a barely audible voice.

Tali responded, "The Lt. Commander is recovering well. His injuries were not as severe as yours. How are you, Shepard?"

Dr. Michel saw that they were talking and started that way. She wasn't close enough to hear Shepard say, "In pain. Did it work? Are the Reapers dead?"

"Yes, Shepard, it worked. You saved us all again. By the goddess I was afraid we had lost you though," Liara said, now wide awake.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy," Shepard managed to say.

"Commander, lie still a moment." Dr. Michel began scanning her and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've gone ten rounds solo with a Yahg," Shepard said. "Can I see Bobby, Doctor Michel?"

Dr. Michel busied herself with scanning and didn't answer. Tali said, "I'll go see if he's able to come over," and walked away.

"You'll need time to recover, Commander, but everything is healing nicely. Unless there is a setback we will try having you sit up tomorrow and see if we can get up the next day. If you do okay, we can start some physical therapy the day after."

Lt. Commander Edwards had been put in a bed at one end of the med-bay with two guards posted by his bed. The guards stopped Tali as she approached. "Sorry, ma'am but the Lt. Commander is under arrest. No visitors."

"Don't 'sorry, ma'am' me. I'm an Admiral with the Quarian fleet and Commander Shepard, who just save all of us, is asking to see the Lt. Commander. I'm not going to take him out of the room we're just going over there," Tali said pointing to the bed half way down the med-bay. "If you don't want to create a cross species incident then you will help me get him there."

Tina had talked about Tali, and about how Tali had grown from a reserved Quarian on Pilgrimage to an admiral willing to stand against the other Quarian admirals and fight for what she believed was right. It appeared she was also willing to stand up for her Commander, but that part wouldn't have surprised Bobby about anyone who had served with Tina. The guards were out of their league dealing with her and didn't know how to respond, so when she made to move past them, they let her.

"Lt. Commander, I'm Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. If you are able, Commander Shepard is awake and would like to see you."

"Hi Tali. The Commander spoke very highly of you. I'm glad you, Liara, and the others have been watching over her," Edwards said and slowly got out of bed. He was a little unsteady, but able to move and the two of them, with the two guards following close behind, walked down the med-bay.

Tina saw him coming and was both pleased and dismayed. He was alive and walking, but why were there two marines shadowing him? Did he need protection for some reason? "Yes," she thought, "that's it. Tali and Liara were here to guard me so I don't need the marine guard."

"You did it, Tina," Bobby said, smiling. "You got us out." He bent down and kissed her forehead. As he stood back up she moved her head right to left and tried to lift her arm so she could touch his lips, when the arm wouldn't go that high, and stuck out her lips. Bobby smiled and kissed her. Tina managed a "I'm better now, doctor."

"Hush," Bobby said. "You get some rest and recover. I'll make sure they send part of my meals over here."

Tina smiled at that, then she looked at Tali and mouthed a "thank you." With Bobby holding her hand, she drifted back to sleep, where she woke up on a beach.

Edwards looked up to see an angry Admiral Shepard closing fast. The only thing that kept her from yelling at the Lt. Commander was that she had seen her daughter fall back asleep. Instead she pointed at his bed as an order for him to get back down there. She followed the guards and, after a moment, Tali followed her.

Struggling to keep her voice down, she berated the Lt. Commander, "What the hell were you doing down there? Do you not understand what kind of trouble you are in, Lt. Commander? Confined to the med-bay doesn't mean you have free roam of the place. If you did we'd just post guards at the door not at your bed." It was obvious the guards were uncomfortable with where this was going.

"Admiral, if you are going to blame someone for this blame me," Tali said. "Your daughter wanted, no, she needed to see him; to know that he was okay. I get that he made a mistake, but …"

"Tali, you don't need …" Edwards started but Tali held up her hand.

"But that mistake ended up saving your daughter's life," Tali finished.

"Based on what? A story that an AI told. An AI that admitted it would have sacrificed her to save him? Who knows what they did to her in there and what that AI made her believe. I'll let this go this time," Admiral Shepard looked at the marines, "but this is my ship and this is not to happen again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aye, ma'am," the marines responded.

She then looked at Tali. "You're a member of my daughter's crew and I understand you wanting to help her, but don't push me or back to the Normandy you go." Without giving Tali time to respond she turned to Edwards and said, "As for you, if you're able to walk down there, you don't need to be in here anymore." To the marines she said, "Get his things and take him to the brig." She then stormed away to find Dr. Michel to learn how Christina was doing.

"I'm sorry, Lt. Commander," Tali said.

"It's not your fault, Tali. I'm just glad I got to see her. Watch over her," Bobby said.

A couple of hours later Shepard woke up again. Tali and Garrus were sitting beside her with Tali leaning against Garrus half asleep. Garrus saw Shepard was awake and said, "Does the Alliance pay you for sleeping on the job, because if so I might just have to enlist."

Shepard smiled and, with a bit stronger voice than earlier, asked, "Did everyone make it?"

"Everyone on the Normandy is okay, Shepard. There were heavy losses elsewhere, but our crew is intact."

"Jack, Miranda, Jacob, and the others?"

"Not sure about all of them. Jack and her team from Grissom Academy survived. Jacob survived. Wrex and Grunt as well. But we haven't heard from Miranda, Samara, or Zaeed. Doesn't mean much though because a lot of communication links are still down," Garrus said.

"Still down? But it's been almost a year," Shepard said.

"Ah, no one has told you. Long story, Shepard, but what was almost a year for you was just a few seconds or something for us."

This caused her to turn and look down the med-bay. She didn't have a good line of sight but she didn't think Bobby was down there. "If you're looking for the Lt. Commander, they've moved him. It's part of the long story, but it's for his own protection," Garrus said. He and Tali had discussed what they would tell Shepard about Bobby when she woke up. They decided that it was better to be vague and half-truthful then to get Shepard excited about the prospect of the Lt. Commander being court-martialed. Besides, getting him out of the med-bay meant Admiral Shepard was less likely to kill him, so it wasn't a complete lie.

Shepard turned back, looking disappointed, Garrus thought. She asked, "Are the Reapers all dead?"

"All reports we have say they are; Palaven, Thessia, Tuchanka. There are places we haven't heard from but it worked every place we have been able to contact. There's damage to the relays but initial reports indicate they are repairable," Garrus said.

"And the Geth?"

"EDI and the Geth blacked out when the pulse hit, but they've come back online. A less complete Crucible would have killed them and probably caused more damage elsewhere. And if people would have listened to you and started work earlier there might have been even less damage, but overall, we came out of this better than I expected."

Shepard looked at Tali and Garrus sitting together and smiled, "You two make a cute couple."

"Oh, we're not a couple. I'm just using him," Tali said.

"The same way I'm using Bobby, I'm sure," Shepard said. They talked about the Normandy and what repairs were needed. People were busy right now looking for any remaining life pods in earth orbit and they were looking for wounded on earth. They told Shepard not to worry, though, it was all going well. Soon, she was drifting back to sleep.


	18. Chapter 17

The next day, Christina Shepard was sitting up in the bed, and she was furious. Her mother sat to her left, trying to maintain her composure, with Liara, visibly nervous, and Javik to her right. Admiral Shepard had reviewed what they had learned from SAI about the time at the Beach House.

"I want to see him now, mother," Tina said.

"What you want and what you are going to get are different things. Did you not listen to what I told you? The Lt. Commander is toxic and his career is about to go down in flames. Admiral Hackett acted like the only issue with Edwards using the SAM code was not turning it in. The board will not see it that way. He was toying with the technology that made a much better officer a pariah in the Alliance. He will not fare any better. Besides, you might think you have feelings for him, but how do you know they are real? How do you know that AI didn't simply manipulate your feelings? It admitted that manipulating you was the Catalyst's plan. It may have just used that plan for its own ends," Hannah Shepard argued.

"Your mother is right, Commander. You cannot trust this AI and the Lt. Commander is either a fool for messing with it or its puppet," Javik said.

"I know what I know, mother. You weren't there. Bobby worked to try to find a way out. For a time, he was frustrated because he thought I wasn't trying. And this horrible error you all claim he made saved my life."

Dr. Michel walked up to the foot of the bed, "Commander, please calm down. You shouldn't be getting excited in your current condition. Admiral, please consider her request or at least let her rest."

"I don't want to rest. I want to know where he is," Tina said.

Admiral Shepard stood. "He's in the brig," she said and started to walk away.

"I want to see him, mother, and I want to talk to Admiral Hackett," Tina called after her.

"Commander Shepard, your mother just wants what's best for you. As any mother should be, she's concerned about what happened to you and she's attempting to defend you until she's sure you're okay," Dr. Michel said.

Tina took a deep breath and said, "I know, but that doesn't mean she's right."

Lt. Commander Edwards was stretched out on his cot when Hannah Shepard walked up to the door. She came armed with knowledge. Admiral Hackett had told her that he was sure Edwards would not have messed with the SAM code had Claudia still been on the team. Edwards, he said, wouldn't have risked damaging Claudia's career. Admiral Shepard knew this was supposed to make her feel sympathy for the Lt. Commander. Instead, she saw a means to keep him away from Christina. He stood and saluted, no longer unsteady on his feet.

"Do you love my daughter, Lt. Commander?" she asked.

"I do, ma'am," Edwards replied.

"Then if you love her, at your hearing today you'll gladly take whatever punishment they hand down and you will make sure she doesn't go down with you."

"Ma'am?"

"That's not my daughter back there. I don't know what you or that AI did but all my daughter ever wanted was to command her own ship. That woman in there is willing to throw all of that away for you, Lt. Commander. I don't know if it's indoctrination or something else that AI did to her, but if you love her, you'll leave her alone until she's herself again. Otherwise, she's going to suffer for your mistake," Hannah Shepard said.

If Admiral Shepard had made those statements as an order, Bobby would have ignored them. But Bobby saw what Admiral Shepard wanted him to see. He saw Hannah Shepard, Tina's mother, pleading with him almost at the point of tears. "I'll make it clear she had no part in what I did and I'll plead guilty on whatever charges are raised," Bobby said.

"Thank you, Lt. Commander. I know this will not be easy for you or for her but it really is for the best. I'll send someone down to expedite the hearing," Admiral Shepard said and walked away.

Edwards sat on the edge of the bunk and buried his face in hands. "I think you misjudged, Bobby. That was more like a twentieth-floor window you jumped out of."

At his hearing, Bobby was charged with multiple violations of military code, including working on AI technology. He plead guilty on all counts testifying that he and he alone had committed the acts and no other person prior to or after the fact knew where he had gotten the code for SAI.

"Robert Anthony Edwards, based on your own testimony and admission of guilt, you are hereby stripped of your rank and dishonorably discharged. You will surrender any Alliance equipment you possess, including your omni-tool, and take your personal items and go. A shuttle will transport you to a location you desire. Do you understand?" the boards chairman asked.

"Yes, sir," Bobby replied.

Admiral Hackett left the room with Admiral Shepard heading for the med-bay. "I'm surprised Edwards didn't put up more of a fight," Hackett said. "That's not like him. He's never been confrontational but he seemed defeated in there." Admiral Shepard remained silent.

When they got to the Tina's bed, Liara and Javik were gone replaced by EDI and Traynor. Tina raised the head so that she was sitting again and Hannah saw that her eyes were red. "Thank you for coming, Admiral," Commander Shepard said to Hackett.

"I stopped by a couple of days ago but you were sleeping. How are feeling, Commander?" Hackett asked.

"I'm getting better. Most of the pain is gone with me just lying here but I'm told I'll feel it when they get me out of this bed tomorrow. How's Lt. Commander Edwards, sir?"

Hackett looked at Admiral Shepard who did not return the look. "You haven't been told? His hearing was this afternoon. He plead guilty to all counts and has been dishonorably discharged." Hackett could see the rage in her eyes.

Tina looked at her mother, who refused to meet her eyes. "What did you do, mother. If you used his feelings for me to make this happen," and she saw a light dawn in Admiral Hackett's expression. "You did, didn't you. He didn't fight this because you convinced him it would hurt me."

Hannah Shepard did not respond to her daughter's questions. "Thank you for stopping by, Admirals, but I'm tired and need some rest." Tina lowered the head of the bed and turned on her side away from her mother. Admiral Hackett motioned to Specialist Traynor and led her away from the bed.

"Keep me posted on how she's doing and if she needs anything, let me know."

"Aye, aye, Admiral."

When the Admirals were gone, EDI said, "Shepard, are you all right?" but Tina refused to answer.

Later, Tina woke up on the beach and quickly sat up looking across the water, but neither Bobby nor the kids were there. She could feel heat on her back and turned to see that the Beach House was ablaze.


	19. Chapter 18

At a little after 1:00 PM, Edwards rolled into a small town in New Mexico. A week earlier the shuttle had dropped him off at his parent's farm. They had been surprised to see him home, but glad he was still alive. Bobby said he couldn't give them the details as they were classified but he had been discharged from the Alliance Navy. They told him that Jill and her family had been in touch and everyone was okay. But they were currently stranded outside the local cluster and it would be some time before they could get back. They could tell he was unhappy, though he tried to hide it. He stayed a couple of days, finishing his recovery, and getting ready for the trip. He made sure the bike his parents had stored for him was running well and got an early start one morning.

Major cities and some large towns had been devastated by the Reapers, but out here, in the small towns and rural areas, you could almost forget there had been a Reaper War. But it wasn't the Reaper War that haunted Edwards and forgetting would take a long time. He got off the bike; grabbed his backpack; and went into the diner. On the far wall was a vid screen and they were re-showing the Alliance press conference from the previous day. The star of the conference had been Commander Christina Shepard, appropriately hailed as the conquering hero. He'd been on the road when the press conference was held but it had been the lead story on all news shows last night. She had handled the questions adeptly, never blaming the brass or the Council for ignoring her warnings but instead praising them for their support. She also shifted credit to her team and to all the fleets that had helped in the attack on earth, especially noting the Krogan, Geth, and Rachni support.

The waitress motioned him toward a booth and Edwards slid his pack into the far side and sat facing the vid screen. "Can I get you something to drink?" the waitress asked. Edwards looked at her name tag, Rachel, and said, "Coffee's fine, Rachel. Black."

"Coming right up." She laid a menu on the table and walked away to get the coffee. There were only a couple of other booths occupied, but he knew it was after the lunch rush which, along with breakfast, was probably the busy time for a place like this. The sound was down on the vid screen but he watched anyway.

Rachel came back with the coffee and saw he was watching the screen. "She's quite the hero, isn't she? Our daughter," Rachel nodded in the direction of the cook, "ran around all last night pretending she was Commander Shepard fighting off the Reapers."

Edwards smiled, "I'm sure there are a lot of kids doing that. What she did was amazing."

"Did you lose anyone in the war?" Rachel asked. She nodded towards the cook again and said, "Jimmy's brother was in the Marines and those Reaper bastards killed him. Seems like everyone lost someone."

"All my family survived," Bobby said, "but I lost my four best friends. We were going to make this trip together, just traveling across the continent, now it's just me."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks, but as you said everyone lost someone in this war," Edwards said.

"What can I get you?" Rachel asked. "If you're hungry that bacon cheeseburger is a half-pound patty and you get either fries or onion rings with it."

"Breakfast was a long way back," Edwards said, "so that sounds great. Do you recommend the fries or the rings?"

In a low voice she said, "I'd avoid the rings if I were you. Jimmy's real proud of them but unless you're use to a lot of grease they do bad things to you."

Bobby laughed and said, "Okay, give me the fries."

"We still got cherry cobbler back there too if you're hungry after the burger and fries. Don't need to tell me know just planting a seed, but cherry's the best cobbler he makes," Rachel said as she picked up the menu and left to put in the order. Edwards sipped his coffee and watched as the replay of the press conference ended.

He was checking his omni-tool when Rachel came by with fresh coffee. "That's a nice omni-tool you have there."

"Came with the bike. It tracks mileage and runs diagnostics on the engine periodically. Otherwise it's a basic omni-tool with voice communication, camera, and some apps," Edwards said.

"Forgot to ask what you wanted on that burger."

"Lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo is fine."

"Okay, it'll be up shortly," Rachel said as she was walking away.

Edwards punched a contact code into his omni-tool and sat staring at it for a minute. Then he activated the code. There was silence until a voice said, "You know you could get in a lot of trouble for contacting me."

"I'm already in a lot of trouble and I don't care what they do to me. I wanted to make sure you were all right and say I'm sorry," Bobby said.

"How can I be all right when the man I want to spend my life with took off and left me," Tina said.

"That's what I'm sorry for, Tina. I could make excuses, but the reality is I made a huge mistake and I know it."

"I know what my mother did, and I know you thought you were protecting me. But you didn't give me any say in the matter. That's not how relationships work, Bobby. One of us doesn't get to make a decision for both of us."

She was right and he knew it. He'd screwed up again and taken an easy path. "You're right. I should have been there. I've been feeling sorry for myself when I should have been there making sure you were okay."

"Do you think calling me is going to make everything okay?" Tina asked.

Bobby paused and noticed that Rachel was walking towards him with his food. Right now, he didn't feel as hungry as when he walked into the diner. He saw Rachel motion with her hand as she had motioned to him and heard her say, "I'll be right with you." She sat the plate down in front of him and said, "Here you go. Need ketchup?" she asked and he nodded. Rachel left to get the ketchup.

"No, I know it doesn't," he said, then realized that the omni-tool was no longer active. She'd hung up on him, not that he could blame her.

"Move over so I can sit down," he heard Tina say in his ear. He lowered his head and shook it as he moved closer to the window.

Rachel walked up looking shocked. "You're Commander Shepard," she said.

"Yes, I am Rachel," Tina replied, reading the waitresses name off her tag.

"Can I get you anything?" Rachel offered tentatively.

She asked for tea. Before Rachel could walk away, Bobby stopped her. "She wants hot tea, not iced, and you better have the cook fix another bacon cheeseburger with fries." Tina turned and kissed him on the cheek. She then picked up a fry and stuck it in his mouth.

"Now you can't say I ate all your food," she said. Bobby reached down with his right hand intertwining his fingers with those of her left hand. He was a little surprised that Tina let him. Rachel came back with the tea, the bag still in water. Tina let it sit for a minute before removing the bag and stirring the tea.

Before she finished stirring, she leaned over on Bobby and said, "The only thing that is saving you is that I know my mother played you. Now, give me a list of what are you going to do to make this up to me, Mr. Edwards. And consider your first choice very carefully."

Bobby looked at her, right into her eyes, and said, "I love you, Tina, and I'll never leave you again."

"Never," Tina said, and smiled. "You get another fry," she said and putting it in mouth, ran her finger along his lip. Bobby smiled now and kissed her. "That's two and you're going to need to repeat two a lot but that's not going to cover it. For starters, I get to drive when we leave."

"Wait. No. Absolutely not. Have you ever even driven anything with less than six wheels? That's not a Mako out there. You drive us off a cliff and we're dying," Bobby said. Tina just looked at him and smiled. "No. Just no. I'll drive us until we find a big open lot and I'll let you try it there."

Tina squeezed his hand and, with a smile, said, "Are you protecting me?"

"You? I'm protecting me," he said, but couldn't keep the smile from his face. He looked at her and she winked. "Fine," he said, "you can drive."

Tina let go of his hand; picked up the burger; and took a bite. "This is a really good burger. It can't be good for you." She held it up for him to take a bite.

When he'd chewed his bite, he said, "We do have one little problem. I'm not with the Alliance anymore and I don't think they'll let me back in."

"I talked to Hackett after the press conference and said I was going to come find you. He approved and he let me take SAI, who's with Liara on the Normandy now. I'm not the only one you abandoned, you know, though SAI blames himself for your situation." Bobby hadn't even considered that. He still thought of SAI as a VI. "Hackett knows what my mother did and he's worried about you. You screwed up and he can't just let that go, but with all that happened, especially the loss of the rest of your team, he's concerned. I am too. Are you okay?"

"No." Bobby lowered his head. "It'll take time. It's crazy that out of the five of us I'm the one that survived. But, and I'm serious here, I'm not just making a pass at you, I'm …" Tina stopped him by putting a finger up to his lips.

"To be clear, it's not just a pass but it is a pass."

"Well, obviously," Bobby said.

"It better be," Tina said with a smile.

"Anyway, I'm better now that you're here." Bobby kissed her.

"I guess you two are more than friends," Rachel said with a smile, holding out the second plate of food.

Tina pointed at Bobby, "I'll steal from his plate if I want anymore. He needs to learn to share before we have kids."

"I have to learn to share?" Bobby said.

"See how defensive he is Rachel. Men."

"I hear that, Commander," Rachel said with a smile. "Ma'am, if you don't mind my daughter would love to meet you."

Tina said she didn't mind, and before they left the diner she had signed several items for people there and several pictures were taken. Jimmy refused to let them pay for their meals and insisted that they have the cherry cobbler with ice cream. Bobby got a couple of bites and considered himself lucky.

Out at the bike he went over how to operate it, telling her it wasn't that hard. It wasn't like the old gasoline powered bikes and it did have many advanced safety features, "but don't test them out please," he said. For the first time riding a bike, he felt she did a good job, especially based on her stories of driving the Mako.

Before they had left, he asked her how long she had before she had to be back to the Normandy. "We, Bobby. The question is 'How long do we have before we have to be back to the Normandy?' The answer is three days."

"What's the Alliance going to say about someone not in the Alliance being on the Normandy," he asked.

"I have a Turian, Quarian, Asari, Prothean, and two AI's on the Normandy, none of whom are Alliance. If Hackett will not reinstate you, you'll have to work for free but you'll get room and board. And the room's nice. There's an aquarium, model ships, a personal bathroom, and some side benefits," she said with her 'cat-that-ate-the-canary' smile. "I know we don't have time to complete your route, but we'll come back and do that later. Maybe bring some of the Normandy crew along."

"Well then, we should go back the way I came. I need to stop in and see my parents again before I leave," he said.

"Taking me to meet the parents. You're not getting serious on me now, are you Bobby?" She said as she moved close to Bobby.

"Yes, I'm am," Bobby said.

"You're one step closer to making this up to me," she said with a smile before she kissed him. Then they got on the bike and headed towards home.


	20. Epilogue

Tina was sitting on a beach towel under the big umbrella Bobby had set up in the sand. "I'm glad he put that up or I'd have a bad sun burn," she thought and smiled. She sat up and looked out into the water. The twins were splashing about as Bobby watched over them. Bobby motioned for her to come out into the water. "Only if you give me your word you're not going to dunk me," she said, but she was already reaching for her big hat and sunglasses.

"That thought never crossed my mind," Bobby said with a devious smile.

"Right," she said as she got up. The sand was warm but not too hot and became wonderfully cool as she entered the water. When she got close he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Almost on cue, Hannah said, "Gross."

"Nuh-uh," David said. "Mommy and Daddy kiss cause they're in love."

"It's still gross," Hannah said.

Tina picked her up and kissed her. "Yuk mommy," she said and Tina sat her down. Hannah had her father's dark hair and blue eyes and, Tina was sure, was going to break some hearts one day. David was right there tugging on her arm so Tina picked up him up and kissed him. He also had his father's blue eyes but her red hair and complexion. If David didn't end up with a burn today he'd be lucky.

Tina sat David down and turned to look at the bungalow they had rented. It was nothing compared to the Beach House, but they only needed a place for a week and when the owners found out who she was they had gotten it rent free. She tried to turn things down but there was always a tale of a son or daughter, brother or sister, who had died or whom she had saved by setting off the crucible. So, Bobby and Tina donated the money they would have spent to one of the charities for orphans of the war.

Liara came out of the bungalow wearing a bathing suit and a robe. She was also carrying a covered tray, which meant baked goods. Bobby said, loud enough to be sure Liara would hear, that the view had gotten better which earned him a punch in the arm from Tina. "Eyes back in your head, mister," she said, kissed him, and started back to the umbrella.

Liara, like Shepard's mother, had been distrustful of Bobby early on but Bobby had worked to gain the trust of both. That included encouraging Tina to work on her relationship with her mother and suggesting they name their daughter Hannah. Admiral Shepard had been slower to come around then Liara, but she now had a good relationship with Bobby.

With Liara the gesture had been to encourage SAI to work with Liara. SAI relieved much of the burden of being the Shadow Broker from Liara, so that she could spend more time on writing books from what she learned from Javik. When the twins were born, Bobby and Tina had asked her to be the godparent of the twins. She took the role more seriously than either Bobby or Tina had expected and spoiled them all with her baking.

"Liara!" Hannah screamed and went running up the beach to meet her. David trailed behind, but not by much. They raced past their mother and Tina stopped and watched as Liara hugged the kids. Then she sensed Bobby coming up behind her. She spun in time to grab him with her biotics; lifted him off the ground and out over the water; then dropped him.

David started singing, "Mommy got daddy wet. Mommy got daddy wet." Liara and Hannah were laughing and Bobby came out of the water sputtering.

"I almost got you that time," he said.

"Almost doesn't count," Tina said, and went on up to the beach towel. She sat down and Liara sat down beside her.

"Can the kids have a muffin?" Liara asked.

"Okay, but just one for now," Tina said, pointing first at one child then the other. "And I get to have one too."

"Well, I baked two dozen so you can have more if you want," Liara said low enough that the kids wouldn't hear. Then she called out to Bobby, "Do you want me to have one of the kids bring you a muffin?"

"I'm fine, Liara, but thanks for asking," Bobby replied.

David took his muffin and ran out to where his father was while Hannah wedged herself between Liara and Tina. They sat and talked until Hannah's head was bobbing. Liara asked her if she wanted to go take a nap and Hannah said, "Only if you come with me."

"Of course I will. A nap sounds good to me too." Liara looked at Tina and asked, "Should I take David too?"

"If you want. If you can get him still for a moment he'll be out quicker than she will. The problem, as you know, is getting him to be still."

"I'll have glyph play something soothing on the piano," Liara said.

Tina smiled, "That will probably do it. David, come on and go with Liara back to the house."

"Aw mom," David said, but he came with Bobby trailing behind him.

When they reached Liara, she took David by one hand and Hannah by the other. Bobby said, "Thanks, Liara. Give a yell if they're any trouble."

"We'll be fine," she said and started up the slope. She looked back and said, "I'll make sure you two aren't disturbed, but don't forget to bring the muffins when you come in," she called back.

Bobby sat down behind Tina and she leaned back against him. "This is too perfect," she said.

"It's less than you deserve," he said.

Tina turned around and sat with her legs wrapped behind his back. "You really think so?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Bobby said.

"Do you remember how to make things up to me, then," Tina asked.

"I do," Bobby said and kissed her.

"That's step one. Let's move on to step two," she said, and felt him untie the knot to her bikini top.


End file.
